David T. Sykes [ Of Counsel ]
Duane Morris LLP
30 South 17th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
USA
Phone: 215.979.1500
Fax: 215.689.4429
Email:
Sykes@duanemorris.com
David T. Sykes practices in the areas of business reorganization and bankruptcy, insurance company rehabilitation, corporate and commercial finance, professional guidance, arbitration, mediation and commercial trial and appellate work. Mr. Sykes directed the firm's representation of creditors and debtors in workouts and bankruptcies throughout the country for more than 35 years. He was also managing partner and vice chairman of the firm for a decade.
Recent experiences include: service as sole arbitrator in commercial matters; expert witness in several litigation matters; and counsel to venture capital firms with troubled investments.
Mr. Sykes has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for 20 years, and was ranked in a poll of Pennsylvania lawyers conducted by Law & Politics Media and Philadelphia magazine as one of the top 100 lawyers in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. In the Chambers USA: Guide to America's Leading Business Lawyers, Duane Morris is listed as having one of the top three insolvency practices in Pennsylvania and Mr. Sykes is described as "one of the deans of the Pennsylvania bar." He is certified as a business bankruptcy specialist by the American Board of Certification. A charter fellow and past president of the American College of Bankruptcy, he received the College's Distinguished Service Award in March 2008. He is also a fellow of the American College of Investment Counsel and the American Bar Foundation. He is a past chair of the American Bar Association Business Bankruptcy Committee's Secured Creditors Subcommittee and has served as chair of the Business Law Section and the Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He is a member of the American Bar Association's Center for Professional Responsibility, the International Insolvency Institute and the Philadelphia Bar Association's Professional Guidance Committee. Mr. Sykes is the co-founder of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference, of which he is a past chair, and he was the first president and a co-founder of the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project. He is a past chair of the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan political watchdog group dedicated to advancing good government in the Philadelphia region.
A frequent lecturer on bankruptcy law for various professional associations, such as the American College of Bankruptcy, the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Mr. Sykes has also been a lecturer in law at Temple University School of Law. He has authored numerous articles on bankruptcy and commercial law.
Mr. Sykes is a graduate of Temple University School of Law and Hamilton College. He served as a shipboard officer in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1962. After 42 years with Duane Morris LLP, Mr. Sykes will continue the active practice of law as of counsel to the firm in 2007.
Areas Of Practice
- Banking Law
- Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law
- Business Reorganization
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate and Commercial Finance
- Corporate Law
- Surety and Other Bonding Claims
- Uniform Commercial Code
- Professional Responsibility
- Mediation and Arbitration
- Insurance Insolvency
Professional Activities
- Certified Business Bankruptcy Specialist, American Board of Certification
- Planning Committee, Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Fourth Annual Bankruptcy Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 12, 1999
- American Bar Association
- Business Law Section
--Business Bankruptcy Committee
---Past Chair, Secured Creditors Subcommittee - Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section - Philadelphia Bar Association
- Professional Guidance Committee
- Past Member, Board of Governors
- Chairman, Business Law Section, 1983
- Chairman, Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, 1989 - American College of Bankruptcy
- Charter Fellow
- President, 2005-2007
- Director, 2001-2005
- Vice President, 1997-2001
- Past Member, Board of Regents - American College of Investment Counsel
- Fellow - Commercial Law League of America
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference
- Co-Founder and Past Chair - International Bar Association
- Business Law Section
-- Banking Law Committee
-- Insolvency and Creditor's Rights Committee - Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys
- American Bankruptcy Institute
Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Education
- Temple University School of Law, LL.B., 1965
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Of Counsel, 2004-present
- Vice Chairman, 1998-2004
- Managing Partner, 1994-1997
- Member, Partners Board, 1981-2004
- Chairman, Reorganization and Finance Section , 1972-1993
- Partner, 1972-2004
- Associate, 1965-1971
-- Business Department, 1970-1972
-- Litigation Department, 1967-1970
-- Trust and Estate Department, 1965-1967 - United States Navy, Active Duty, 1959-1962, U.S.S. Springfield
- Completed service as Lieutenant (Senior Grade) in 1962; honorably discharged
Board Memberships
- Board Member, Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project
- Continuing Legal Education Program (Business Practice) - Advisory Board, Bankruptcy Law Reporter
Civic and Charitable Activities
- Member, Mayor's Leadership Task Force for the Philadelphia Housing Authority
- Past President, Parents Association, Chestnut Hill Academy and Member, Board of Trustees, 1985-1987
- Vestry of St. Paul's Church, Philadelphia, 1984-1987
- Past Chair, Committee of Seventy
- President and Board Member, Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project
- Member, Temple University School of Law Board of Visitors
- Member of Board and Co-Founder, Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project
Honors and Awards
- Recipient of the American College of Bankruptcy's Distinguished Service Award, March 2008 (introduced by Hon. Marjorie O. Rendell)
- Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, 2003-2008 editions
- Named one of Corporate Counsel magazine's "Best Lawyers," 2005
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 1989-2006
- Recipient, 2000 First Union Fidelity Award, Philadelphia Bar Association, December 2000
- Recipient, 1999 National Public Service Award, presented by American Bar Association's Section of Business Law, August 10, 1999
- Recipient, Dennis H. Replansky Memorial Award, presented by the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association, December 2, 1997
- Recipient, Equal Justice Award presented at the Community Legal Services Breakfast of Champions, April 19, 1996
- Listed in Who's Who in America, 1990-1991, 1992-1993
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy Law, 1989-present
- Listed in Best Lawyers in Philadelphia in both Philadelphia Magazine Surveys
- Named a SuperLawyer for 2006 by Philadelphia Magazine as well as one of the top 100 lawyers in Philadelphia and one of the top 100 lawyers in Pennsylvania
Selected Publications
- "When is it Over? Post Chapter 11 Plan Confirmation Jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court," The Legal Intelligencer, April 23, 2001
- "Executory Contracts," Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1996-1998
- "Shoring Up the Contract: Preparing for the Bankruptcy Storm," Corporate Legal times, November 1996 (co-author)
- "Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases," 1196 National CLE Conference
- Bankruptcy Law, March, 1996 and Bankruptcy Update, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1996
- "Judge Reaches Balanced Analysis: Presumption of Borrowers Liability Essential in Lender Liability Litigation, The Legal Intelligencer, February 24, 1995
- "The Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project -- Philadelphia Pro Bono Effort a Worthy Mode," American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, September 1994
- "Executory Contracts and Leases: Rights and Remedies in Bankruptcy Proceedings," Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1991
- Co-Author, "Developments in Bankruptcy, Reorganization and Finance: 1989--1990 Annual," Aspen Publishers, Inc., 1990
- "Issues in Lending... Lender Liability Claims in Chapter 11 Cases," The Journal of Commercial Bank Lending, February 1989
- "How Accountants Can Assist Creditors Committees," Chapter 11 Reporter, 1988
- "Executory Contracts," Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1988
- "Confirming a Plan," Pennsylvania Bar Institute, 1983
Selected Speaking Engagements
- LECTURER
- Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Ninth Annual Bankruptcy Institute
August 2004 (course planner) - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Eighth Annual Bankruptcy Institute
August 12, 2003 (course planner) - Philadelphia Association of Paralegals
The Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project - It's Purposes and How You Can Help
May 15, 2001 - American Bar Association Negotiated Acquisitions Committee
Acquisition of the Distressed Company
March 23, 2001 - National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges
Pro Bono Across America
October 2000 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Fifth Annual Bankruptcy Institute
August 2000 (course planner and panelist) - Third Circuit Judicial Conference
Case Review
October 1999 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Fourth Annual Bankruptcy Institute
August 1999 (course planner and panelist) - Third Circuit Seminar for Bankruptcy Lawyers Practicing in the United States Virgin Islands
April 1999 - Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference
Claims Trading Seminar
November 1998 (panelist) - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Annual Corporate Law Institute
October 1998 (panelist) - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Third Annual Bankruptcy Law Institute
August 1998 (course planner and panelist) - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Law Department Conference
Current Bankruptcy Issues
Wednesday, June 10, 1998 (panelist) - American Bar Association Business Law Section Annual Spring Meeting
National Bankruptcy Review Commission
Saturday, April 4, 1998 (co-chair and moderator) - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Second Annual Bankruptcy Update
August 1997 (course planner and panelist) - Third Circuit Judicial Conference
Bankruptcy: Life After Debt in the 21st Century
Friday, May 16, 1997 (course planner and panelist) - American Bar Association Business Law Section Annual Spring Meeting
Trading Bankruptcy Claims
Thursday, April 3, 1997 (course planner and panelist) - Harvard Business School Club of Philadelphia
Restarts/Turnarounds: Reviving Troubled Companies
Thursday, March 20, 1997 (panelist) - Eastern District of Pennsylvania Bankruptcy Conference
Choosing the Appropriate Chapter for your Client's Individual Bankruptcy
Tuesday, December 10, 1996 - American Society of Corporate Secretaries
The Independent Director
Friday, September 27, 1996 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases
August 1996 (course planner and panelist) - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Lawyer As A Director
Wednesday, July 31, 1996 (panelist) - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Bankruptcy Ethics in 1995 and 1996
Tuesday, July 23, 1996 (panelist) - Law Education Institute and Bureau of National Affairs
Developments in Dealing with Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases in Bankruptcy
Friday, March 29, 1996 - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Do you Want to Dance? The Relationship of Inhouse And Outside Counsel
Thursday, November, 30, 1995 (panelist) - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Current Developments in Bankruptcy Law
Including the 1994 Amendments
Wednesday, November, 15, 1995 (panelist) - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Advanced Ethics Issues for Lawyers and Law Firms
Friday, August 25, 1995 (panelist) - American Bar Association
Individual Bankruptcy--Which Chapter Should You Recommend and What if You are Wrong?"
Tuesday, August 8, 1995 (course planner and panelist) - Law Education Institute and Bureau of National Affairs
Strategies for Dealing with Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases in Bankruptcy Cases
Wednesday, January 11, 1995 - Philadelphia Bar Education Center
Individual Bankruptcy: Which Chapter?
Wednesday, October 19, 1994 - Advanced Conference on Commercial Leases CLE International
Effects of Bankruptcy on Commercial Leases
Section 365 and Other Provisions of the Bankruptcy Code Relating to Commercial Leases - Temple University School of Law
Lecturer in Law
Corporate Finance; Business Reorganization - American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Business Bankruptcy Committee
Subcommittee on Claims, Indenture Trustees and Creditors Committees
Purchasing and Selling Claims Against a Chapter 11 Debtor - American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Business Bankruptcy Committee
Subcommittee on Claims, Indenture Trustees and Creditors Committees
Committee Governance and Bylaws: A Discussion of the Preparation and Effectiveness of Committee Bylaws - American College of Investment Counsel
Bankruptcy and Workouts - Association of Insolvency Accountants
How Accountants Can Assist Creditors Committees - Banking Law Institute
Business Workouts - CLE, Inc.
Chapter 11 and Real Estate Leases - Defense Research Institute
Lender Liability in Chapter 11 - Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Bankruptcy, Business Reorganization, Chapter 11 - Lecturer in Law, Temple University School of Law, Day and Evening Divisions (Corporate Finance, Corporate Reorganization)