James C. Tecce
jamestecce@quinnemanuel.comJames Tecce is Co-Head of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Restructuring Group and a Partner in the New York Office. Over the last 30 years, James has gained extensive experience representing both creditors and debtors in some of the nation’s largest and most complex chapter 11 cases. He has litigated a wide range of contested matters in the bankruptcy context, such as DIP financing, exclusivity, and confirmation contests, and has represented clients like General Motors LLC; Peabody Energy Corp.; Toys Labuan (Holding) Limited; Intelsat Jackson Holdings S.A.; the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.; and both Enron Corp. and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Enron Corp., et al. He also has prosecuted and defended against appeals from Bankruptcy Court decisions before the United States District Courts and the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals.
James has been ranked consistently among the leading Bankruptcy Restructuring lawyers in Chambers USA, where he is described as being “client-focused,” “thoughtful,” having “extensive experience” and “a great understanding of the bankruptcy process,” and a lawyer who can “effectively and efficiently advise his clients”. He also has been ranked in The Best Lawyers in America: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a “National Practice Area Star.”
Additionally, James’ litigation expertise extends beyond bankruptcy into complex commercial litigation. He has significant experience in in both federal and state courts, e.g., Delaware Chancery Court, involving, among other things, financial institutions, lending arrangements, shareholder disputes, hedge-fund litigation, director-and-officer litigation, and liability management transactions.
Practice Areas
Representative Clients
Company-Side/Chapter 11 Debtors: Alpha Natural Resources, Inc.; American Home Mortgage Corp.; Avianca Airlines; Buffets Holdings, Inc.; Just Energy Group, Inc.; Kingfisher Midstream, LLC; GOL Linhas Aeréas S.A.; General Motors LLC; Peabody Energy Corp.; Samson Resources Corp., Toys “R” Us. Inc. (Toys Labuan (Holdings) Limited)); Velo Holdings, Inc.; Dairy Mart Convenience Stores; Dictaphone Corp.; Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V.; Fruit of the Loom, Inc.
Independent Directors And Special Committees: Envision Healthcare; Center for Autism and Related Disorders; NBG Home; Nordic Aviation Capital Designated Activity Company; Intelsat Jackson Holdings S.A.; Service King; JCPenney Company, Inc.; Belk, Inc.; Frontera Generation LLC; Dynegy Examiner (Kirpalani); Remington Outdoor Company Litigation Trustee (Kirpalani); CFG Peru Chapter 11 Trustee (Brandt); Sheridan Production Partners II; WestMarine; SNTL Corp. (counsel to Litigation Trustee); and Verso Paper Holdings LLC.
Statutory Creditors’ Committees: Committees of Unsecured Creditors of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.; Enron Corp.; RadioShack; SemGroup, L.P.; Sentinel Management Group, Inc.; Thornburg Mortgage; Maxxim Medical Group; RCN Corp.; Safety-Kleen Corp.
Chapter 15 Cases: Tinto Ltda. (Colorado Holdings LLC); Just Energy (foreign representative); and Yukos Oil Company (Yukos B.V.).
Creditor And Individual Representations: GWG Holdings (counsel to Bradley K. Heppner); Packable Holdings (counsel to Founders); UpHealth Holdings, Inc. (counsel to Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria); Secured Lenders in The McClatchy Company bankruptcy cases; Bondholders of Nortel Networks Capital Corporation; Holders of General Unsecured Claims of DPH Holdings Corp. (Delphi); Shareholders of Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc.; Noteholders of BioMed Realty Trust, Inc.; Boston Generating LLC (counsel to US Power Generating Company, USPG Power Services, Inc.; Astoria Generating Company, LP; K Road Power); Third-Lien Lenders to Calpine Corp.; secured lenders to Adelphia Communications Corp.; lenders to Cybergenics Corp.; largest unsecured creditor of Mirant Corp.; administrative agent to secured lenders of Tower Automotive, Inc.
Education
- University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business
(B.S., Economics, 1992) - Villanova University School of Law
(LL.M., Taxation, 1998) - Dickinson School of Law
(J.D., 1995)- Dickinson Law Review
- Woolsack Honor Society
Admissions
- The State Bar of New York
- United States Circuit Courts of Appeals:
- Second Circuit
- Third Circuit
- Fifth Circuit
- Sixth Circuit
- United States District Courts:
- Eastern District of New York
- Southern District of New York
Prior Associations
- Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, New York, 2000-2007
- Law Clerk to the Hon. Anthony J. Scirica:
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1997-1998
- Law Clerk to the Hon. John R. Padova:
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1995-1997
Awards
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2023-202
- Ranked by Legal 500 USA, Finance: Restructuring (including bankruptcy), “Recommended Lawyers”, 2023 and 2024
- Ranked in Chambers USA in New York – Bankruptcy/Restructuring, 2018-2024
- Named a United States “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, 2022-2024
- Recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a “National Practice Area Star,” 2024
- Selected as a LawDragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyer, esp. Litigation 2022-2024
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, U.S. News and World Report, Best Lawyers®, 2018-2022
- Named a “Recommended Lawyer” by Legal 500 USA in the practice area Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy) 2016-2017