Brian Y. Lee, Associate

Brian Lee is a senior corporate associate in Winston & Strawn’s San Francisco office. His practice focuses on all matters in the insolvency arena, including loan restructurings, distressed asset acquisitions, and complex Chapter 11 cases.

Mr. Lee has substantial experience representing the major constituencies in bankruptcies, restructurings, and related transactions and litigation, with an emphasis on debtor and creditors’ committee representations in complex Chapter 11 reorganizations. He also advises creditors, secured lenders, trustees and other fiduciaries, and buyers and sellers of distressed assets in significant reorganization and restructuring matters.

Mr. Lee has extensive experience representing venture debt companies, counseling them on a variety of credit- and bankruptcy-related issues concerning their portfolio companies. Fluent in Chinese, Mr. Lee has also advised numerous Asia-based businesses concerning creditors’ remedies, avoidance actions, restructurings and divestitures of joint ventures, and purchases of distressed assets.

Mr. Lee’s representative Chapter 11 matters include: In re Pacific Education Foundation; In re National Farm Financial Corporation; In re RedEnvelope, Inc.; In re Touch America Holdings, Inc. et al.; In re Legacy Estate Group, LLC; In re CFM U.S. Corporation et al.; In re People’s Choice Home Loans, Inc.; In re Silicon Graphics, Inc.; In re Citation Corporation; In re Cable & Wireless USA, Inc. et al.; In re Meridian Automotive Systems, Inc.; In re Elantic Telecom, Inc.; In re Liberate Technologies, Inc.; In re Constellation Concepts, Inc.; In re Mayan Networks Corporation; and In re Metricom, Inc.

Activities

From 2005-2008, Mr. Lee served as the co-editor of the newsletters published by the American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Committee on Corporate Counsel.

From 2003–2004, Mr. Lee served on the board of directors of the Barrister Club of San Francisco. Later, he served on the San Francisco Minority Scholarship Committee. He is a former chair of the Barrister Club, Bankruptcy Law Section.

Education

Speeches and Publications

Mr. Lee’s publications include:

• “Chinese Manufacturers’ Remedies When Dealing with Financially Distressed Buyers in the U.S.,” co-author, published in The Bankruptcy Strategist, Vol. 26, No. 9 (July 2009)
• “Recent Trends in Delaware Courts Clarifying Directors' and Officers' Fiduciary Duties,” published in American Bar Association, Business Law Newsletter, Corporate Counsel Committee (Spring 2008) 
• “Sellers’ Remedies and Strategies When Dealing with Financially-Distressed Buyers in the United States and Taiwan,” co-author, published in China Law & Practice, Vol. 20, No. 10 (2007)
• “Exit Strategies for Financially Distressed Companies,” published in San Francisco Attorneys, Spring 2003
• “Taking Mortgage Interests in Real Property under the Guarantee Law of People’s Republic of China,” published in Hastings International & Comparative Law Review, Vol. 21, No. 2 (1998)