Joseph D. Frank
Partner
(T) 312.276.1402
(F) 312.276.0035
Joe Frank is bankruptcy counsel to some of the largest public and private corporations in the United States. He provides daily counsel to these companies on both routine and complex bankruptcy matters and has appeared on behalf of his clients in bankruptcy courts throughout the country. He also represents creditors’ committees and asbestos claimants’ committees and has confirmed Chapter 11 plans on behalf of committees in bankruptcy courts in Delaware, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and New York. As a member of the Trial Bar for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Joe often represents bankruptcy trustees and creditors in bankruptcy court litigation, and he has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and handled workouts for mid-sized corporate debtors, including many real estate developers. He does not represent banks, and dedicates much of his practice to helping debtors and unsecured creditors get their fair share in bankruptcy.
Joe began his career at Jenner & Block and then was a partner at Freeborn & Peters and Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg, before starting FrankGecker in 2005. Joe speaks frequently to a wide range of professional groups. He has made many presentations at conferences concerning asbestos-related bankruptcy, and has spoken on multiple occasions before the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Illinois CPA Society and the Advertising Media Credit Executives Association. He has written many articles, including a series on assumption and rejection of leases in bankruptcy for the Retail Law Strategist. He contributes a chapter annually on avoidance actions in bankruptcy for the bankruptcy treatise published by Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, and he has contributed chapters in the past to the annual Bankruptcy Update published by Aspen Law & Business. Joe previously served on the Consulting Services Executive Committee of the Illinois CPA Society.
Admission
Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Federal Trial Bar
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third, Seventh and Ninth Circuits
U.S. Supreme Court
Education
University of Chicago Law School, J.D. with honors
Carleton College, B.A. magna cum laude