Scott Lewis is a partner in Chapman’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Group. He concentrates his practice on bankruptcy, workout, and commercial litigation matters, including the representation of indenture trustees, financial institutions, secured lenders, and other commercial clients.
He has participated in litigation, restructuring, and workouts involving a wide range of industries, including financial services, food processing, construction, and manufacturing. He also participates in proceedings related to professional malpractice, foreclosures, and other commercial actions.
Scott often advises clients with respect to the bankruptcy safe harbors for derivative transactions, RMBS representation and warranty litigation, and municipal bankruptcy matters. He also represents clients in many aspects of the Lehman bankruptcy. He has analyzed the eligibility of hundreds of municipal entities for bankruptcy and/or state insolvency relief for various financial institutions.
Prior to joining the firm in June 2006, Scott practiced at Sidley Austin LLP in the Bankruptcy group and the Insurance and Financial Services group. Scott is an Illinois-registered CPA with experience in both audit and tax.
Representative Transactions
Scott has recently represented clients in the following matters:
- The enforceability of waterfall payment provisions in bankruptcy
- RMBS repurchase claims
- Termination and enforceability of ISDA derivative agreements
- Municipal bankruptcy analysis
- Indenture trustee matters
- Auditor malpractice actions
- Claims under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act
- Commercial foreclosure proceedings
- Mechanics’ lien litigation
- Preference and fraudulent conveyance actions
- Improper distribution and breach of fiduciary duty claims
Publications
- Co-Author, "The Bankruptcy Safe Harbors Are Not Necessarily Safe for Financial Institution Customers," The Banking Law Journal, April 2021
- Co-Author, "Appeal of a Municipal Plan of Adjustment Held to Be Equitably Moot by the Ninth Circuit," The Banking Law Journal, July/August 2019
- Co-Author, "Opportunistic Investors' Drive to Accelerate Termination of a CDO Hits a Dead End," Real Estate Finance Journal, Spring 2019
- Co-Author, "Sixth Circuit Weighs in on the Meaning of 'Governmental Unit,'" Pratt's Journal of Bankruptcy Law, January 2019
- Co-Author, "'Mere Conduit' Defense is Alive and Well in the Eleventh Circuit," Client Alert, December 5, 2018
- Co-Author, "Non-Consensual Third-Party Releases Held Enforceable in Chapter 15 Proceeding," Client Alert, April 17, 2018
Presentations
- Panelist, “Treatment of Derivative, Repurchase Agreements and Forward, Commodities and Securities Contracts in Bankruptcy,” Chapman and Cutler CLE Marathon. May 2014.
Practice Focus
Education
University of Illinois College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2002
- Order of the Coif
DePaul University, M.S., Accountancy, 1994
Vanderbilt University, A.B., Economics, cum laude, 1990
Admitted
Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Memberships
Registered Certified Public Accountant, Illinois