Andrew Thomas Perry

### Why I Practice Bankruptcy and Insurance Law

I didn’t set out to become a bankruptcy and insurance lawyer. My career took me there through the courtroom, the bankruptcy courts, and years of seeing how complicated legal problems become when financial distress and insurance coverage collide.

Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work as a law clerk for a bankruptcy court. That experience gave me a firsthand look at how bankruptcy affects everyone involved—not just the debtor, but creditors, insurers, businesses, employees, and other parties whose contractual rights can be affected by a bankruptcy filing.

I later spent six years working with the Tenth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. That experience fundamentally shaped how I approach legal problems. I learned that the most important questions are often not the obvious ones. Understanding the bankruptcy process is only part of the job; you also have to understand the underlying contract, the parties' competing rights, and the practical consequences of each legal decision.

In private practice, I began focusing on insurance-related bankruptcy matters and representing insurance companies in complex and mass-tort bankruptcy cases across the country. Over time, I developed particular experience with the issues that arise when an insured becomes involved in bankruptcy—automatic stay questions, coverage disputes, claims administration, proofs of claim, insurance assets, and the intersection between bankruptcy law and the insurer's contractual rights.

Today, I represent clients in matters involving bankruptcy and insurance, with a particular focus on protecting creditor and insurer interests. I also apply that bankruptcy experience to matters involving the federal oil and gas industry, where bankruptcy, contractual rights, and federal leasing issues can intersect in particularly complicated ways.

What I enjoy most about this work is taking a problem that initially seems complicated and making it understandable. Bankruptcy can create uncertainty for everyone involved. My job is to identify what the bankruptcy actually changes, what it does not change, and what my client can do next.

That approach has remained consistent throughout my career: understand the law, understand the client's objectives, and develop a practical strategy for moving forward.