United States Bankruptcy Judge
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas
Marvin Isgur has been a United States Bankruptcy Judge since February 1, 2004. He was appointed to a second term as a Bankruptcy Judge, which began on February 1, 2018. Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. appointed Judge Isgur to the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management. He is the sole bankruptcy judge appointed to the Committee by the Chief Justice. Judge Isgur was recently reappointed to a second term on the Judicial Conference Committee.
Judge Isgur currently presides over more than 4,000 bankruptcy cases. He has been instrumental in reforming consumer bankruptcy practices and rules both in the Southern District of Texas and nationally.
Judge Isgur is one of two judges who is assigned complex bankruptcy cases in the Southern District of Texas. In that capacity, he has presided over multiple bankruptcy cases with liabilities exceeding one billion dollars. In 2018, he was assigned the largest bankruptcy case filed in the United States.
In 1974, Judge Isgur received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. In 1978 he received his MBA, with honors, from Stanford University. After earning his MBA, Judge Isgur served as an executive with a large real estate development company in Houston. In 1987, Judge Isgur returned to the University of Houston to attend law school. Judge Isgur was awarded his law degree, with high honors, in 1990 and began representing debtors and trustees in chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcy cases until his appointment as a Bankruptcy Judge. Judge Isgur is also one of a handful of attorneys in the nation with experience representing various parties in chapter 9 bankruptcy cases.
Judge Isgur has written over 500 memorandum opinions. He was one of the first judges to issue opinions interpreting the 2005 Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act.
Judge Isgur was a founding member and served on the board of directors for the Houston Urban Debate League, a non-profit organization that works in partnership with local schools to bring policy debate to high school students. He is one of the principal organizers of the annual University of Texas Consumer Bankruptcy Conference and is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs.
When his volunteer and court activities permit, Judge Isgur spends his weekends sailing on Galveston Bay.
Co-Chair, Restructuring Department
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Matt Barr is Co-Chair of the Restructuring Department at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and a member of the Firm’s Management Committee. Mr. Barr has extensive experience leading representations of debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, bondholders, ad hoc groups, private equity funds, acquirers of assets, hedge funds and other institutions acquiring controlling positions in financially distressed companies in chapter 11 reorganization cases and out-of-court restructurings both in the United States and internationally. Mr. Barr’s engagements have ranged across a wide array of industries, including retail, telecommunication, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, energy, oil and gas, automotive, apparel, manufacturing, project finance and shipping. He has drawn upon his broad experience to develop and advise clients on practical solutions and build the consensus required to implement these solutions.
Mr. Barr has consistently been recognized over the years as one of the nation’s leading restructuring lawyers by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, IFLR1000, Lawdragon, Legal 500, Guide to World's Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers (Legal Media Group), and Super Lawyers, among others. Most recently, he was named a Leading Lawyer by Legal 500 and named “Highly Regarded” for Restructuring and Insolvency in the U.S. by IFLR1000 in 2020. In 2019, Mr. Barr was named among Turnarounds & Workouts’ “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers” and named a Leading Lawyer by Legal 500. In 2017 he was named among Turnarounds & Workouts’ “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers” and a “Bankruptcy MVP” by Law360. Commentators in Chambers USA have called him “tremendously bright, responsive and reliable,” and “a measured, strong advocate” that knows “how to get to a resolution in a case.” IFLR1000 called him “a very strong and commercial lawyer. He never loses his cool and always finds a way to get to yes.”
Currently Mr. Barr serves on the board of directors for the National Kidney Foundation – Greater New York as well as the American Red Cross – Greater New York and is a board member of the Weil Foundation. Mr. Barr joined Weil in 2015 from a major international law firm, where he was a senior equity partner, resident in that Firm’s New York office. Mr. Barr has contributed to various publications over the years on topics ranging from valuation litigation, in- and out-of-court remedies of creditors and asset sales. Mr. Barr has participated on a variety of panels as both a moderator and speaker.
