My Story

Robbin Itkin

Phone:

(310) 738-9561

Email:

[email protected]

My Story

I am privileged to have cultivated a distinguished legal career spanning over 35 years representing debtors, creditors, official creditors’ committees, equity, C-suite, boards, buyers and investors in complex restructuring and bankruptcy matters both in and out of court. My experience encompasses a diverse range of industries, including real estate, entertainment, sports, retail, transportation, hospitality, healthcare, leisure and lifestyle, retail and manufacturing. I have also represented victims of Ponzi schemes with dedication and care. I am proficient in asset sales, having personally composed and conducted auction sales of distressed companies.

Throughout my career, I have served as a court appointed fiduciary for numerous companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I am a seasoned mediator, bringing resolution to legal disputes of all kinds in all industries, both privately, and in pro bono capacities in the United States Central District Bankruptcy and District Courts and Los Angeles Superior Court.  

I am honored to be recognized as a valued member of the legal community, including being Chambers-ranked, and the recipient of notable awards such as the Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year Award, Top 50 Women Southern California Attorney Award, Transaction of the Year Award and the Legal Visionary award.  With gratitude, I have been acknowledged by my peers and elected as a fellow of the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy, where I have served for years in different capacities, and currently act as Co-Chair of the International Committee.  

As both a lawyer and an independent director, I have worked closely with company management, C-suite, boards, financial advisers, special counsel and other professionals to create, and implement where appropriate, effective strategies for financially distressed companies. My experience includes developing and navigating ownership sales, and the transitions and procedures therefor, and addressing management challenges, operational complexities and internal disputes.

I possess a deep understanding of the concerns and priorities of the various stakeholders involved in corporate restructurings and have successfully collaborated with all parties across a wide range of industries to achieve comprehensive and sustainable resolutions. Noted for my ability to solve complex problems, I am adept at fostering amicable and efficient alternative solutions, even in the most challenging circumstances.

Further recognitions and accomplishments are highlighted below.

  • Chambers ranked seasoned attorney and certified mediator who has spent her legal career addressing and resolving business issues facing public and private companies and high-profile individuals. Her experience and advice spans all industries, including sports and entertainment, retail, manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, transportation, commercial lending, food, lifestyle and hospitality. As a lawyer, she utilized her restructuring and problem-solving skills to successfully advise on sophisticated and complex issues for boards, executives and portfolio companies on core matters ranging from fiduciary duties to management and employment matters, acquisitions, dispositions, litigation and financial restructure, and during all stages of business growth, whether healthy or distressed. Those same skills are applied to serving as an independent director for companies.
  • Appointed by the United States Trustee to serve in the fiduciary role as independent trustee in complex matters involving extensive litigation among multiple parties where an efficient resolution is required (see below).
  • Recent recipient of the 2022 Turnaround Managers' Association Transaction of the Year Award (Large Company) for her role in representing a large group of victims in the Professional Financial Investors, Inc. Ponzi scheme case, where she worked with competing interests to co-formulate a fair plan for distribution to all victims, notwithstanding their investment vehicle. These efforts serve as a model for "resolution not litigation” to maximize value for all stakeholders. Likewise, as counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Season Ticket Holders in the Los Angeles Dodgers bankruptcy case, she formulated a resolution with the Office of the United States Trustee to allow for season ticket holders to serve as members of the official creditors' committee, which membership was novel.
  • Helped numerous companies and high-profile individuals navigate the choppy waters of financial distress, many of which were resolved through a bankruptcy process but most of which were resolved out of court and through consensual resolution among stakeholders crafted by Robbin. Robbin is known as the "go to" person when complex matters need to be resolved efficiently and effectively. For example, in her role as the chapter 11 trustee in the Ritter Ranch bankruptcy case, she ended years of complicated and hostile litigation among developers, city officials and creditors regarding the largest developable real property in Los Angeles County at the time, through successful negotiations with every constituency; that resulted in a robust action sale of the real estate, which sale process was designed and conducted by Robbin.
  • Experienced director on not-for-profit boards, including the City of Hope National Medical Center parent board, and its Risk, Audit & Compliance Committee among other committees, as well as private company boards.
  • Robbin will serve as an informed and proactive independent director on your private and public company boards, especially in light of the uncertain financial market and the impact that may have on companies and their strategic partners, as well as the uncertainty and impact of protracted litigation on companies.
  • Starbridge (Ontario) Investment, LLC - Chapter 11. Appointed Independent Manager for the Debtor in light of pending litigation and disputes among the LLC members and oversaw the sale of the company's primary asset, the Ontario Airport Hotel & Conference Center.
  • Bikram Yoga – Chapter 11 and 7. Appointed Trustee of five Bikram Yoga related entities (Bikram Choudhury Yoga Inc, Bikram's Yoga College of India LP, Bikram Inc., Yuz, Inc. and International Trading Representative LLC. Administered all aspects of the businesses, resolved creditor claims and monetized intellectual property, real estate, collector cars and other assets.
  • Ritter Ranch Development LLC – Chapter 11. Appointed Trustee to administer the then largest available developable property in Los Angeles County (over 6,000 acres) and addressed development issues and Mello Roos Bond Financing issues, among other complex real estate and litigation matters. Formulated disposition plan and conducted auction sale of real property assets for over $50M.
  • Hyo Dong Kim – Chapter 11. Appointed Trustee over estate of individual owning and operating dental lab and commercial real estate and monetized estate assets for benefit of creditors.
  • City of Hope National Medical Center parent board member (1997-2007); board member Emeritus (2007-present); member of Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee (2020-present) (formerly served on nomination and finance committees)
  • Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles Board (approximately 2009-2012)
  • Century City Chamber of Commerce Board (2007-2010, 2012-present)
  • Los Angeles Women's Leadership Council Board (2017- present)
  • Credit Abuse Resistance Education (CARE), Los Angeles Chapter Board (2020-present)
  • Other not-for-profit boards in the restructuring and commercial industries
  • Completed certificated director education at the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management (Corporate Governance Program 2024).
  • Robbin has served as an equity partner at notable firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, Steptoe & Johnson and DLA Piper.
  • Robbin holds a J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law (USC), and a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, both with honors.
  • Leading Lawyers in America Award 
  • L.A. Times B2B Publishing Business of Law: Trends, Updates & Visionaries - "Legal Visionary" Award
  • Chambers USA, California Bankruptcy/Restructuring
  • Lawdragon's Leading U.S. Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers
  • 2022 Turnaround Managers' Association Transaction Award of the Year (Large Company) for Professional Financial Investors, Inc. chapter 11 bankruptcy case (Ponzi scheme)
  • Los Angeles Business Journal -Women's Leadership Awards - "Champion of Women" Nominee
  • Los Angeles Business Journal -Business Women Attorneys of Influence
  • Los Angeles Magazine, Top 50 Women Attorneys In Southern California
  • Los Angeles Magazine Super Lawyers, Top I00 Lawyers in Southern California
  • The Wall Street Journal, Best Lawyers in Southern California
  • The American Registry, Top Women Attorneys in Southern California
  • Super Lawyers - Top List Achievement
  • Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent Status as a Top-Rated Lawyer
  • Century City Bar Association, Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year
  • The Legal 500 United States, Finance: Corporate Restructuring (including bankruptcy)
  • Southern California Super lawyers - Top 50 Women
  • Southern California Super Lawyers, Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law
  • The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California has recognized Robbin with several mediation awards, including:
    • Mediator who settled the mediation conference with the most parties in the 2011- 2012 term
    • Mediator who conducted the longest mediation conference in the 2011 -2012 term
    • Mediator who conducted the conference involving the largest amount of money in the 2011-2012 term
  • Top Lawyers - Corporate Counsel
  • Century City Chamber of Commerce, Women of Achievement Award
  • B’nai Zion Foundation, Women of Accomplishment Award