Speakers
Armistead Long
Education Session
This session covers how Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings impact real property titles, specifically examining asset ownership, lien validity, and the status of leases or executory contracts under Texas and Louisiana law. It guides professionals through the bankruptcy life cycle—from petition to property sale—enabling them to understand and conduct thorough proof of claim and chain-of-title analyses.
Armistead ("Army") Long is a Member at Gordon Arata whose practice focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, creditors' rights, complex commercial litigation, and strategic transactions, with a particular emphasis in the oil, gas, and energy industry. Licensed in both Louisiana and Texas, he represents lenders, producers, operators, service companies, and other businesses throughout the Gulf Coast in complex restructurings, commercial disputes, mergers and acquisitions, and other strategic business transactions. Army also serves as one of only eight active Subchapter V bankruptcy trustees appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice's United States Trustee Program for the State of Louisiana.
Before becoming an attorney, Army spent more than 23 years as a successful entrepreneur, founding, operating, and ultimately selling multiple companies in the agribusiness, mining, and manufacturing sectors. That firsthand business experience gives him a practical understanding of the operational and financial challenges facing businesses.
Army is consistently recognized among the leading bankruptcy and restructuring attorneys in the region, earning honors from Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Louisiana Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon.
Jean Smith is an Associate at Gordon Arata whose practice focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, creditors' rights, and commercial litigation. Before joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to Chief Judge John S. Hodge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Louisiana, where she worked on complex bankruptcy matters and gained extensive experience analyzing insolvency and restructuring issues. She also clerked for Judge Jerry Edwards, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, working on a variety of civil litigation matters.
Jean earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School and her M.B.A. from Tulane University - A.B. Freeman School of Business. While at Tulane, she served as Senior Articles Editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal and received the Dean's Service Award in recognition for her outstanding service to the business school. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from Wake Forest University.