G. Eric Brunstad, Jr. has argued 11 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including matters involving the First Amendment, bankruptcy, taxation, the Commerce Clause, statutory interpretation, jurisdiction and arbitration.
In addition to the cases he has argued, Mr. Brunstad has worked on more than 35 other matters in the Supreme Court, including matters involving federal licensing, civil rights, procedure, insurance, sovereign immunity, pensions, energy contracts, and defamation. He has also argued and briefed numerous cases in most of the federal courts of appeals, including matters involving insurance, setoff, prepayment premiums, subrogation, and a variety of other commercial law topics. In addition to his practice, he is a Professor (Adjunct) of Law at NYU School of Law and a frequent visiting lecturer at Yale Law School where he teaches courses on bankruptcy, secured transactions, commercial law, argument and reason, and federal courts. He began teaching at Yale in 1990 and has also taught at the Harvard Law School.
Mr. Brunstad is widely published, and is a contributing author for the Collier treatise on bankruptcy law. He has been recognized as a leading lawyer in numerous directories and publications, including Benchmark Litigation, The Legal 500 US, Leading Lawyer in Appellate Law, The Best Lawyers in America, International Who’s Who of Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers, and Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy Law. Recently, he was named the Best Lawyers 2015 Appellate Practice, Bankruptcy and Reorganization "Lawyer of the Year" in Hartford. His scholarly work has been cited or quoted by many courts, including the Supreme Court.
Mr. Brunstad’s appearances before the Supreme Court include his argument on behalf of the Marshall family in the Anna Nicole Smith case, Marshall v. Marshall, 547 U.S. 293 (2006); his argument on behalf of Travelers in Travelers Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Pacific Gas & Elec. Co., 127 S. Ct. 1199 (2007); and his argument on behalf of Citizens Bank in Marrama v. Citizens Bank of Massachusetts, 127 S. Ct. 1105 (2007).
Mr. Brunstad was a member of the Dechert litigation team recognized as part of the Financial Times’ 2013 Top U.S. Innovative Law Firms for their “standout” work acting as lead counsel for an ad hoc group of creditors in connection with the highly contested cross-border restructuring of approximately US$1.6 billion in defaulted senior notes issued by Mexico's largest glass manufacturer, Vitro S.A.B. de C.V. This precedent-setting case marked the first time that U.S. courts clarified the standards and requirements for global businesses that file for Chapter 15 bankruptcy.
- Mass Torts and Bankruptcy: How Far Has the Horizon Shifted? — 2023 Dechert Distressed Investing Forum, Dechert LLP – New York, NY (November 1, 2023)
- Fireside Chat with John Pottow, John Philip Dawson Collegiate Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School — 2023 Dechert Distressed Investing Forum, Dechert LLP – New York, NY (November 1, 2023)
- Fireside Chat with Vince Buccola, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, The Wharton School, 2022 Dechert Distressed Investing Forum, Dechert LLP – New York, NY (October 27, 2022)
- When a Pro Rata Share is not Enough: Intra-Creditor Disputes — Dechert Distressed Investing Forum, Virtual Conference (November 12, 2020)
- Dechert Distressed Investing Forum — New York Athletic Club, New York, NY (October 18, 2018)
- The Legacy of Justice Scalia and the Future of the U.S. Supreme Court Following the U.S. Presidential Election — Singapore (September 29, 2016)
- Legacy of Justice Scalia on the Interpretation of Statutes and Constitutions — National University of Singapore Law Seminar, Singapore (September 28, 2016)
- May You Live in Interesting Times: The Supreme Court's Year in Bankruptcy — The National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 88th Annual Conference, Chicago, IL (October 11, 2014)
Speaker, panel on the Supreme Court's decisions in such pivotal bankruptcy cases as Arkison, Law v. Segal, and Rameker.
- Chapter 15 Panel - The American College of Bankruptcy Fifth Circuit Chapters 9 and 15 Seminar — New Orleans, LA (May 10, 2014)
Speaker, panel on difficult Chapter 15 controversies.
- Bankruptcy Litigation in the Supreme Court; Scoring a Knockout on Appeal —National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, San Diego, CA (October 25, 2012)
Speaker, discussion on Supreme Court litigation.
- Magistrate and Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction After Stern v. Marshall — ABA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL (August 3, 2012)
- Stern v. Marshall — Federal Judicial Center's National Workshop for U.S. Magistrate Judges II, Denver, CO (July 23, 2012)
- U.S. Supreme Court –Bankruptcy Appellate Advocacy — New Jersey Bar Association Annual Bankruptcy Bench-Bar Conference, New Brunswick, NJ (May 11, 2012)
- Arguing a Bankruptcy Case in the U.S. Supreme Court and Bankruptcy Decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court — 25th Annual NW Bankruptcy Institute, Seattle, WA (April 27, 2012)
- Stern v. Marshall — Federal Judicial Center's National Workshop for U.S. Magistrate Judges I, Miami, FL (April 19, 2012)
- Stern v. Marshall and Other Jurisdictional Issues Relating to Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Arising in Connection with Bankruptcy Cases — Fiduciary Duties at the Intersection of Corporate and Business Bankruptcy Law, Wilmington, DE (April 16, 2012)
- Bankruptcy Appellate Litigation in the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals — 7th Annual BICR Section Educational Retreat, Kohler, WI (March 1, 2012)
- Chapter 11 Plan Issues — 7th Annual BICR Section Educational Retreat, Kohler, WI (March 1, 2012)
- Stern v. Marshall: The Sky is Not Falling -A Reasoned Analysis of the Decision and Case Law to Date — Caribbean Insolvency Symposium 2012, Puerto Rico (February 2, 2012)
- Stern v. Marshall and Milavetz: Recent Supreme Court Decisions and the Direction of the Court — Allegheny County Bar Association's Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section's 24th Annual Symposium, Pittsburgh, PA (December 9, 2011)
- Dissecting Stern v. Marshall — The Hartford County Bar Association's Commercial Law Committee Roundtable, Hartford, CT (December 6, 2011)
- Breaking News from the Supreme Court — American Bankruptcy Institute -2011 Insolvency Symposium, Grand Cayman (February 3, 2011)
- Supreme Court Update: Primary v. Secondary Liability --The Janus Capital Case and Implied Rights of Action — Connecticut Bar Association, Business Law Section Meeting, New Haven, CT (January 25, 2011)
- Decisions and Dicta: The Impact of Recent Supreme Court Opinions — National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, New Orleans, LA (October 16, 2010)
- Case Updates: Recent Decisions of the Supreme Court — Hudson Valley Bankruptcy Bar Association, Hyde Park, NY (October 8, 2010)
- Managing Complex Litigation in the Bankruptcy Context — PLI's Bet the Company: Best Practices for Complex Litigation Cases, New York, NY (November 10, 2009)
-
- Connecticut College, B.A., 1983, magna cum laude
- University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1986, Associate and Contributing Editor of the Michigan Law Review
- Yale Law School, LL.M., 2011
- Yale Law School, J.S.D., 2014
-
- New York
- Connecticut
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
-
- Former Chair, American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Business Bankruptcy Committee
- Former Member, Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on the Federal Bankruptcy Rules
- Former Member, Local Rules Committee of the Federal Practice Section of the Connecticut Bar Association
- Former Member, Drafting Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Local Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure for the Southern District of New York
- Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations
- American Bar Association (Section of Business Law and Chair, Business Bankruptcy Committee)
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on the Federal Bankruptcy Rules