Bernstein Shur Attorney Robert J. Keach Appointed Fee Examiner For American Airlines’ Chapter 11 Cases

First round of fee applications seeks approval for more than $68 million

Portland and Augusta, ME and Manchester, NH
(June 15, 2012) – Robert J. Keach, co-chair of Bernstein Shur’s Business Reorganization and Insolvency Practice Group, was appointed fee examiner for the Chapter 11 cases of AMR Corporation and its affiliated debtors by order of the Hon. Sean H. Lane, the United States Bankruptcy judge presiding over cases in the Southern District of New York. AMR Corporation is the parent company of American Airlines.

As fee examiner, Keach will review and advise the
court and the parties regarding interim and final fee applications for compensation and/or reimbursement for more than 30 court-approved professional firms retained by the debtors and the statutory committees; Keach will file and prosecute objections to those applications as appropriate. In the first round of interim fee applications, 25 of the court-approved firms are seeking approval for more than $68 million in fees and expenses. 

“Bob is a national figure in the business bankruptcy bar,” said Bernstein Shur CEO Charles Miller. “This is a major matter for him and our firm and it underscores the confidence that Bob’s peers have in his fairness and decisiveness.”

Keach is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, past president of the American Bankruptcy Institute and current co-chair of the ABI’s Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11. He has, among other high-profile engagements, represented ad hoc committees in the Homebanc Mortgage, New Century TRS Holdings and Nortel Networks cases in the bankruptcy court in Delaware, and the ME Public Utilities Commission in the FairPoint Communications case in the Southern District of New York.

Keach recently received Chambers USA’s highest ranking of “Star” attorney for his work in bankruptcy for the sixth consecutive year. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America for more than ten years for his work in bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights, and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He resides in Falmouth, ME.

About AMR’s Chapter 11 Reorganization

AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., and its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 reorganization on November 29, 2011. For more information, visit aa.com/restructuring.

About Bernstein Shur

Widely regarded as one of New England’s most entrepreneurial law firms, Bernstein Shur is a multi-service firm with more than 100 attorneys in offices in ME and New Hampshire. Founded in 1915, the firm provides practical and innovative counsel in the areas of business law, litigation, and municipal law to clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur is ME’s exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. More information is available at www.bernsteinshur.com.