Mike Crawford has been in private practice since 1994, emphasizing bankruptcy-related litigation, representation of creditors’ committees, bankruptcy trustees and corporate creditors and banks. Following graduation from law school in 1993, Mr. Crawford served a one year judicial clerkship with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the Honorable Gerald H. Schiff.

Mr. Crawford is admitted to practice in all federal courts, including bankruptcy courts, in Louisiana, U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court. Mr. Crawford is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy-related topics.

Notable bankruptcy cases:

• Lead counsel for the Unsecured Creditors' Committee in the Harvest Oil/Saratoga Resources chapter 11 proceeding pending in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana.  Confirmed chapter 11 plan paid unsecured trade creditors in full with interest;
• Creditors' Committee Counsel for Communication Corp. of America and White Knight Holdings, Chapter 11 consolidated proceedings in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Shreveport Division Lead Case No.06-50410; Debtors own and operate several television stations in Louisiana, Texas and Indiana; Confirmed chapter 11 plan paid unsecured trade creditors in full;
• Represented trustee Dwayne Murray in the involuntary chapter 7 proceeding of John E. Shavers in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Gulfport Division, Case No. 03-55729; Denied debtor's discharge impacting over $10 million in secured and unsecured claims and successful prosecution of multiple fraud claims/ liquidation of real properties arising out of the debtor's ownership of a construction/dredging business in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi;
• Counsel for the debtor in possession in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of Peter Raymond LaFuria, M.D., United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lake Charles Division, Case No. 07-20346; Successfully negotiated a complex, multi-million dollar settlement of class action personal injury litigation through a confirmed chapter 11 plan;
• Co-counsel, Creditors’ Committee, Harrah’s land-based casino chapter 11 in New Orleans filed in 1995; (Unsecured claims approximating $65 million paid in full);
• Co-counsel, Creditors’ Committee, Cajun Electric Cooperative chapter 11 in Baton Rouge filed in 1994 (unsecured trade claims paid in full with interest);
• Counsel for Creditors’ Committee, Sevarg Company, Inc., an oil and gas company, chapter 11 filed in Western District of Louisiana in 2002; Confirmed plan proposed by the chapter 11 trustee and supported by the Committee resulted in the payment in full of unsecured trade claims with interest and the successful reorganization of the company;
• Bankruptcy counsel for primary secured lender, Bank One, NA (now Chase) in the Charis Hospital, LLC, chapter 11 proceeding, Middle District of Louisiana, filed in 2001 - Assisted with the negotiations and prosecution of a competing creditors’ plan confirmed by the bankruptcy court and resulting in the sale of our client’s hospital facility collateral for $3.4 million;
• Multiple representations of Dwayne Murray, a panel chapter 7 trustee in the Middle District of Louisiana, in fraudulent transfer and preference avoidance actions, as well as representation of Mr. Murray in his capacity as Chapter 11 Trustee in the Leeward Operators, LLC oil and gas bankruptcy pending in the Western District of Louisiana;
• Watson Energy, LLC, an oil and gas chapter 11 in New Orleans - counsel for Breton Sound Resources, LLC, in litigation with the debtor and various lien claimants and in the Watson bankruptcy reorganization. Mr. Crawford’s efforts contributed to a consensual resolution for the development of a multi-stage, $48 million natural gas field in St. Mary Parish as part of a confirmed Chapter 11 plan.

Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rated