Steven H. Felderstein retired from the practice of law effective August 10, 2021. Below is some background information on one of the top California bankruptcy attorneys, who we had the privilege of learning from and working with over the past thirty years.

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Prior to his retirement, in the public sector, Steve co-counseled with the California Attorney General to protect the regulatory authority of state agencies in bankruptcy cases around the country, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Pacific Lumber, Worldcom, Enron, and Lehman Brothers.  For over two decades he represented the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) as either a creditor or an equity holder in mega bankruptcy cases around the country, including Texaco, Columbia Gas, and Drexel Burnham.  Recently he represented CalPERS in the municipal bankruptcies of the Cities of Vallejo and San Bernardino, and he represented retirees in the municipal bankruptcy of the City of Stockton.  Steve also represented the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) in the South Bay Expressway chapter 11 case, a public-private partnership that built a major toll road near San Diego.

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Prior to his retirement, in the private sector, Steve represented all restructure constituencies inside and outside of bankruptcy court, including debtors, official creditor and equity committees, and purchasers of assets of troubled companies, as well as buyers of entire entities as going concern businesses.  Recent representations included a private-equity firm in a contentious out-of-court debt restructure of a large central California novelty food manufacturer, the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of an AM Law 100 law firm (Heller Ehrman), and several residential and commercial real estate developers.  His experience included numerous industries, such as agriculture, food processing, travel, hospitality, entertainment, and commercial and residential real estate.

 

Steve taught bankruptcy law at the University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law for over a decade, and he taught bankruptcy law to other lawyers for the Practising Law Institute in New York City.

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Steve brought significant experience as well as tremendous depth of knowledge of the Bankruptcy Code to each engagement.  His clients have said he was a proven asset in complex bankruptcy and debt-restructuring matters.

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Education

 

Hastings College of Law, J.D., Law Review, Member (1973)
State University of New York at Buffalo, B.A. History (1968)

 

Other Experience

 

Felderstein Fitzgerald Willoughby & Pascuzzi, Managing Partner (1999 - 2019) 

Diepenbrock Wulff Plant & Hannegan LLP, Partner (1986 - 1998)
Felderstein Rosenberg & McManus, Managing Partner (1978 – 1985)
Law Clerk to the Hon. Thomas J. MacBride, Chief Judge, U.S.D.C. for the E.D. CA (1973 – 1975)

 

Legal Memberships, Activities and Honors

 

American College of Bankruptcy, Fellow (1998 – present)

Sacramento Magazine's Sacramento 300, The Most Powerful Business Leaders (First Issue, 2019)

Martindale-Hubbell, AV Premier

The Best Lawyers in America (1987 – present), Creditor–Debtor Sacramento Lawyer of the Year (2011)

Sacramento Magazine's Top Lawyers List (2017 - present)

Super Lawyers® of Northern California (2004 – present)

Practising Law Institute, Faculty (1999 – present)

McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific), Adjunct Professor (2002 – 2014)

California Bankruptcy Forum, Past President

Sacramento Valley Bankruptcy Forum, Past President

Insolvency Law Committee, Business Law Section of California State Bar Assoc. (2000 – 2002)

Uniform Commercial Code Committee, Business Law Section, California State Bar (1983 – 1985)

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