Irving E. Walker is a member in the firm’s Baltimore office.

In 2020, Irv was selected to become a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, which recognizes exceptional bankruptcy professionals for their work, their contributions to the administration of justice, their public service, and their integrity. In 2019, Irv was recognized as the mid-market “USA Restructuring Lawyer of the Year” by the Global M&A Network, which focuses on the mergers, acquisitions, investing, and restructuring communities worldwide. His selection as “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for Baltimore, in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law for 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2020 and Litigation-Bankruptcy for 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 is one reflection of the wide recognition and respect Irv receives from other lawyers and clients in Maryland and beyond. Irv also has been recognized since 2013 by The Best Lawyers in America for “Bet-the-Company” Litigation, and as being among the best lawyers in America for 16 years in the areas of bankruptcy and reorganization law and litigation-bankruptcy. Irv has also been selected as a 2020 and 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyer. Corporate Int’l Magazine recognized Irv in its Global Awards with the accolade, “Corporate Restructuring Attorney of the Year in Maryland.” Irv previously has been listed as one of  “Maryland’s Top 100 Lawyers” by Super Lawyers Maryland Edition.

Experience

Irv advises and represents businesses facing financial difficulties, including nonprofit health care providers, and requiring financial restructuring, both out of court whenever possible and in chapter 11 and other court proceedings when necessary. He also represents creditors’ committees, trustees, landlords, trade creditors and equity holders, as well as purchasers of assets out of bankruptcy. Irv often has used his creative workout strategies to assist clients in navigating through difficult and challenging financial issues. He has represented clients in a wide variety of litigation arising out of bankruptcy cases and other failed business situations, including directors and officers litigation (as counsel for both plaintiff and defendants), avoidance actions, and other commercial litigation, including precedent setting cases at the trial and appellate levels, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Representative Matters

A member of the firm since 2008, Irv’s engagements include the following:

• Lead counsel in chapter 11 cases in Delaware for Videology, Inc. and certain subsidiaries, one of the leading advertising technology companies in the world, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia;
• One of the largest independent homebuilders in the Mid-Atlantic, Gemcraft Homes, and its affiliates, which successfully reorganized under Chapter 11 and emerged with ownership intact and shedding over $100 million in secured debt as well as millions in unsecured debt, with exit financing of approximately $65 million;
• The largest camera and imaging retail business in the country, Ritz Camera Centers, which at the time of the filing of its Chapter 11 case had 930 retail stores and sales of just under $1 billion, and achieved confirmation of a Chapter 11 plan while preserving its core business through a sale to its principal;
• Representation of a creditors’ committee in the Chapter 11 case of Conseco, representing holders of trust-originated preferred securities totaling approximately $2 billion;
• Prosecuting and defending claims against directors and officers of companies arising out of bankruptcy cases;
• Prosecuting and defending fraudulent transfer and other avoidance actions in bankruptcy cases.

Honors & Awards

Consistently recognized for the quality of his legal work and his effective advocacy for his clients, Irv’s honors include recognition in Maryland Super Lawyers, Law & Politics Magazine and Baltimore Magazine, between 2007 and 2014, and in the 2011 and 2012 editions of Who’s Who in American Law (Marquis) and in the 2006 and 2012 editions of Who’s Who in the World. Irv was also was also recognized in a SmartCEO article where one client noted, “Irv wields great knowledge like a craftsman in the courtroom. His ability, substance and style leave other litigation attorneys in his wake.”

Irv is a past president of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the District of Maryland. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.

He also directs his zealous advocacy to help the poor in his community. He served as board president of Homeless Persons Representation Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness, from 2008 to June 2018. Irv currently serves as a board member of Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland.

See Award Methodology.