Arent Fox
ATTORNEY BIO
Andy S. Kong

Andy S. Kong
November 11, 2011
  • Associate
  • Los Angeles, CA
213.443.7554
andy.kong@arentfox.com

Andy Kong is an associate in the Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Group, where he focuses on all aspects of financial restructuring and bankruptcy related litigation and appellate matters. He represents a variety of Chapter 11 debtors, creditors’ committees, secured and unsecured creditors, purchasers of assets, national and regional banks, trustees, and parties to out-of-court workouts and restructurings. In 2012, Andy was named a “Rising Star” in the Southern California edition of Super Lawyers.

Client Work

Andy’s recent representations include:

  • Wild Game Ng, LLC d/b/a The Siena Hotel Spa & Casino, One South Lake Street, LLC and Hi-Five Enterprises, LLC. Represented debtors-in-possession, a high-end hotel, spa, and casino in Reno, Nevada, in a complex Chapter 11 case involving gaming compliance and tax issues and labor concerns. Successfully obtained post-petition financing and negotiated the ultimate successful sale of the business;
  • S-King Estates, LLC.  Represented debtor-in-possession, a “ski down” resort in Salt Lake City, Utah, in heavily contested plan confirmation. Successfully confirmed plan of reorganization;
  • Jill Kelly Productions, Inc. Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors of a movie production company successfully confirming the creditor’s plan of reorganization; obtained reduction of secured lien on assets and sold movie titles at court auction to generate substantial recovery for unsecured creditors;
  • Citizen Smith, LLC Represented debtor-in-possession, a popular restaurant and nightclub in Hollywood, California in negotiating lease and management agreement modifications;
  • Victor Ortiz Represented a professional boxer; obtained declaratory judgment and injunctive relief rejecting and terminating the personal services contract for the client;
  • Reliant Pictures, LLC Represented chapter 7 trustee in selling debtor’s rights to various Hollywood films to stalking horse bidders; and
  • Represented potential debtors and creditors in all stages of pre-bankruptcy and out of court workout transactions, including aiding in the restructuring of corporate capital and debt structures.

Previous Work

Prior to joining Arent Fox, Andy was an associate at a boutique bankruptcy law firm, where he handled bankruptcy and restructuring issues for corporations, high net worth individuals, trustees, debtors, debtors in possession, creditors, and committees.

After law school, Andy served as a law clerk to Judge Victoria Kaufman of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

Professional Activities

Andy is the Ninth Circuit notes editor for the American Bar Association. Andy is a member of the Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum, the International Association of Korean Lawyers, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles.

Publications, Presentations and Recognitions

Andy was featured and interviewed by the Korea Times Los Angeles in the November 30, 2010 publication wherein he discussed the workings of business Chapter 11s and the Korean American business community’s “misperceptions” of Chapter 11s in the United States.

Andy has given presentations on bankruptcy-related topics, including the “Nuts and Bolts of Business Chapter 11” (December 2010) and the “Workings of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy for Debtors and Creditors” (January 2011).

Andy’s recent articles and publications include:

  • “Bankruptcy Sales and Related Settlement of Controversies in the Ninth Circuit: the Trend of More Scrutiny Continues,” California Bankruptcy Journal, Volume 31, Number 1, 2010, co-author
  • Publications and comments in the American Bar Association Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation website (www.abanet.org)

Life Beyond the Law

Andy enjoys snowboarding, basketball, and playing poker. He is fluent in Korean.

Bar and Court Admissions

  • California Bar

Education

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
, JD
  ( American Jurisprudence Award - Torts; St. Thomas More Law Honor Society )
University of California, Los Angeles
, BA

Practices

  • Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring

Areas of Focus

  • Acquirors & Investors in Distressed and Bankrupt Companies
  • Bankruptcy & Financial Reorganization
  • Bankruptcy & Strategic Litigation
  • Committees of Unsecured Creditors
  • Debtors & Troubled & Distressed Companies
  • Distressed Assets
  • Entity Restructuring / Preferred Equity
  • Post Petition, Exit & Rescue Financing
  • Workouts & Loan Restructuring
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-5339
T202.857.6000 F202.857.6395
1675 Broadway
New York, NY 10019-5820
T212.484.3900F212.484.3990
555 West Fifth Street, 48th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90013-1065
T213.629.7400F213.629.7401
www.arentfox.com