E. Lee Morris
Shareholder
Overview
Lee has a broad range of bankruptcy expertise, having been in practice for over 15 years and represented clients in all phases of reorganization and liquidation including debtors, committees, trustees, lenders, insurers, receivers, major creditors and directors and officers in a number of industries and commercial sectors including real estate, oil and gas, food service, retail, telecommunications, health care and financial planning. Lee also has a strong litigation background, having served as lead counsel in a number of complex commercial disputes and appeals involving avoidance action claims and claims for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and breach of contract.
A representative sampling of cases and roles in which Lee has represented clients consists of: Avado Brands, Inc. (committee and litigation trustee), Clark Retail Enterprises (insurer), Dow Corning Corporation (debtor), Enron Corp. (lender), The Heritage Organization, LLC (Chapter 11 trustee), Medical Select Management (Chapter 11 trustee), Morgan Drive Away, Inc. (insurer), Paul Reinhart, Inc. (debtor), Performance Nutrition, Inc. (officers/directors), ProMedCo Management Co. (officers/directors), Search Financial Services, Inc. (plan trustee), Schlotzsky's, Inc. (receiver), Tri-City Health Centre (Chapter 7 trustee), Worldwide Cellular, Inc. (debtor) and WRT Energy Corporation (debtor).
Lee is a frequent speaker on a variety of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights issues and also regularly serves as part of the faculty for trial advocacy programs sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). Lee began his legal career with a two year judicial clerkship for The Honorable William Greendyke in Houston, Texas.
Memberships & Affiliations
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- American Board of Certification, Business Bankruptcy
- Dallas Bar Association, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Litigation and Business Litigation Sections
- Honorable John C. Ford American Inn of Court
- National Institute for Trial Advocacy, Faculty Member
- State Bar of Texas, Antitrust and Business Litigation and Bankruptcy Sections
- The College of the State Bar of Texas
- The University of Texas President's Association
- Turnaround Management Association
Awards & Honors
- AV® Peer Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
- Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights Super Lawyers — Corporate Counsel Edition, Key Professional Media, Inc., 2009
- Best Business Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2007-2009
- Best Lawyers in America in Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, Woodward/White, Inc., 2008-2010
- Best Personal Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine, 2009
- Leaders in Their Field, Chambers USA, 2009
- Rising Stars, Key Professional Media, Inc., 2004-2006
- Super Lawyers, Key Professional Media, Inc., 2008-2009
Admissions
- Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas
Articles & Speeches
- June 13, 2008 — I Need Evidence of What?! Everybody Knows It's True, and Besides, This is Bankruptcy Court
- May 1-2, 2008 — Evidence Issues in Bankruptcy: What to Know Before You Get to the Courthouse Steps
- April 10, 2006 — Headed for the Abyss: Top 10 Things for the Real Estate Practitioner to Know About Bankruptcy
- June 2, 2004 — Getting Exactly What You Bargained For: The Ultimate Down Side of Creative Credit Enhancement Structures in the Face of In Re Senior Living Properties
- October 2001 — Legislative Reforms Affecting Bankruptcy: Congressional Bankruptcy Reform and Revised UCC Article 9
- 2001 — Chapter 11 and Its Alternatives for the Troubled Business Organization: Business and Estate Planning
