Beyond the Balance Sheet: The Accountant’s Role in Bankruptcy and Out-of-Court Restructuring

Chris Hawkins was sworn in as a bankruptcy judge for the Middle District of Alabama on March 14, 2022. He currently co-chairs the Committee on the Annual Meeting for the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges and serves on the Pro Bono Committee of the American College of Bankruptcy.

Before his appointment, Chris was a partner in the Birmingham office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, where he focused exclusively on bankruptcy and insolvency matters. For over twenty years, he represented debtors and creditors in out-of-court restructurings, commercial and consumer bankruptcy cases, bankruptcy litigation, and consumer bankruptcy compliance and regulatory enforcement matters.

Chris formerly served as Co-Chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Consumer Bankruptcy Committee and is an adjunct professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University. He co-authored Thorny Issues in Consumer Bankruptcy Cases (2nd ed. 2020) and is a member of the 33rd Class of Fellows of the American College of Bankruptcy. Prior to taking the bench, he was listed in Chambers USA for Bankruptcy and Restructuring.

Chris graduated summa cum laude from Spring Hill College in 1996, earning bachelor’s degrees in English and Marketing. He earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1999, where he graduated summa cum laude, served on the managing board of the Alabama Law Review, and was a member of the Order of the Coif.