Camisha L. Simmons is the Founder and Managing Member of Simmons Legal. She is dedicated to assisting parties in protecting their interests in corporate restructuring, creditors’ rights, real estate transactions, other business transactions, and litigation matters.
In 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, she was selected by The National Black Lawyers, a professional and educational organization comprised of an elite group of highly successful and influential African American lawyers in the U.S., for inclusion in its list of the top African American attorneys in Texas, The National Black Lawyers Top 40 under 40. In 2018, she was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Dallas by the Texas Diversity Council. In 2013, Texas Lawyer named Camisha to its inaugural list of Legal Leaders on the Rise. The recognition honors Texas’ 25 most promising lawyers under the age of 40 whose accomplishments distinguish them from their peers. She has also been named a Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Rising Star, New York Metro Super Lawyer, and New York Metro Rising Star by Super Lawyers®, a Thomson Reuters rating service, and a Top 40 Under 40 attorney by the National Black Lawyers.
After graduating from law school, Camisha was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mary F. Walrath, Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware (Chief Judge from 2003-2008).
She stays abreast of current developments in the law by frequently writing and speaking on topics related to her primary areas of practice. She has published numerous articles in various online and print journals. She has served as a contributing writer for the American Lawyer Media online news service Law.com and currently serves as a coordinating editor of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.
Camisha is a graduate of the intensive eight-day National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) trial skills training program and has served as a faculty member of NITA’s Building Trial Skills training. She has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of North Texas College of Law.
Prior to her legal career, she served on active duty in the United States Army as a personnel services soldier from 1999 to 2003.
Educational Background
2006 – JD, magna cum laude, Texas Tech University
2006 – MBA, Texas Tech University
2003 – MEd, Counseling & Personnel Services, University of Maryland, College Park
2000 – BBA, Campbell University
While attending law school, Camisha was a member of the Texas Tech Law Review and Phi Delta Phi. She received the Regents Scholarship, amongst other scholarships, was awarded the Medal of Excellence in Bankruptcy by the American Bankruptcy Institute, and was inducted into the national honorary Order of Barristers.
State Bar and Court Admissions
She is admitted to practice before the bars of the states of Texas and New York and the following federal courts: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York; the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas; the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas; United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; and the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Representative Experience
- Representation of parties in business transactions, including real estate transactions
- Representation of parties in litigation matters
- Represent debtors and creditors in various chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings
- Representation of 13 oil and gas service companies (creditors) in Sabine Oil & Gas Corporation bankruptcy pending in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York
- In 2015, successfully defended a $1.5 billion company in a preferential transfer avoidance action brought by the Liquidating Trustee in Exide Technologies bankruptcy case in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
- Creditor’s counsel to large telecommunications company in chapter 11 proceeding of wireless communications company
- Debtors’ counsel to large fabricator and wholesale distributor of architectural glass and aluminum in chapter 11 proceedings
- Debtors’ counsel to large manager and developer of continuing care retirement communities in successful chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings
- Debtors’ counsel to large real estate development company in chapter 11
- Debtors’ counsel to large greeting card company in pre-packaged chapter 11 case
- Creditor’s counsel to second lien lenders in a large chapter 11 case
Professional Activities
- National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA)
- Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (TALHFA)
- Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers (TAAHP)
- American Bar Association
- Business Law Section Member
- Affordable Housing and Community Development Law Section Member
- Past E-Discovery Working Group Member
- Dallas Bar Association
- Real Property Law Section
- Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section
- American Bankruptcy Institute
- Coordinating Editor of American Bankruptcy Institute Journal
- Commercial and Regulatory Committee (2022-present)
- Special Projects Leader (2022-present)
- Legislation Committee (2013-2019)
- Past Membership Relations Director
- Past Co-Newsletter Editor
- Past Special Projects Leader
- Turnaround Management Association
- Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Member (2022-present)
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group Member (2021-2022)
- Chair, Network of Women (NOW) Committee, Dallas Chapter (2014-2016)
- National Bar Association
- The College of the State Bar of Texas
Professional Honors
- Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2022
- New York Metro Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2022
- Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2021
- New York Metro Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2021
- Texas Bar Foundation Fellow, Elected in 2021
- The National Black Lawyers Top 40 under 40 in Texas, The National Black Lawyers, 2019, 2020 and 2021
- DBA WE LEAD: Women Empowered to Lead in the Legal Profession (Leadership Class of 2019)
- Top 50 Women Lawyers in Dallas, Texas Diversity Council, 2018
- Legal Leader on the Rise, recognized as one of Texas’ 25 most promising lawyers under the age of 40, Texas Lawyer, 2013
- Texas Rising Star, bankruptcy, Thomson Reuters, 2014, 2015 & 2016
- New York Metro Rising Star, bankruptcy, Thomson Reuters, 2016
- Top 40 under 40, The National Black Lawyers, 2015 (Texas)
Publications, Media Quotes and Media Mentions
- “Update Deep-Sea Law To Spur US Mining Projects,” Law360, December 20, 2021
- “Can Subchapter V Trustees Invoke the Common-Interest Doctrine?,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XL, No. 12, December 2021
- Quoted in Bisnow article “Sale-Leasebacks Are Back, Baby,” May 26, 2021
- Quoted in Bisnow article “30% Down But Not Out: Law Firms Look To Shrink But Not Eliminate High-End Offices,” April 25, 2021
- “Space Exploration and Production: Bankruptcy Perspectives,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXXI, No. 10, October 2020
- “Ensuring Enforceability of Liquidated-Damages Provisions,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 7, 28-29, 63, July 2019
- “Recapping 2018: Highlights of the Year’s Legislative Developments,” American Bankruptcy Institute, Legislation Committee Newsletter, February 2019
- “Is That Exploration and Production Lease Really a Lease?,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVII, No. 12, 50-51, 82, December 2018
- “Privacy Law Compliance in Bankruptcy: The EU’s New GDPR,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVII, No. 10, 18-19, 69-70, October 2018
- “Chapter 14 Bankruptcy Gaining Momentum,” American Bankruptcy Institute, Legislation Committee Newsletter, June 2018
- “Oil and Gas Decommissioning: At Whose Expense?,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVII, No. 4, 38-39, 99, 100, April 2018
- “Offshore Oil and Gas Leases: The Unanswered Question,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVI, No. 9, 18-19, 77, September 2017
- “Ensuring Enforcement of the Eleventh-Hour Mediation Deal,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2, 24-25, 67, February 2017
- “Codification of Oil and Gas Lien Claimants’ Preference Defense,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXV, No. 9, 16, 61-62, September 2016
- “Delaware Bankruptcy Court Continues Crack Down on Deficient Preference Action Complaints,'” Law.com, February 24, 2016
- Contributor, The Attorney-Client Privilege in Civil Litigation, 6th Ed., American Bar Association (2015)
- “Oil and Gas Royalty Disputes,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIV, No. 12, 40-41, 63, December 2015
- “No Stay of Termination Without Legislation: Investors Oppose Proposed ISDA Stay Protocol Regarding Derivatives Contracts,” American Bankruptcy Institute, Legislation Committee Newsletter, November 2015
- Co-author, “New Trust Protects Fiduciaries of Distressed Companies,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIV, No. 11, 24-25, 61-62, November 2015
- “Lenders and Directors Beware of the Dead-Hand Proxy Put,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIV, No. 9, at 20-21, 73-74, September 2015
- “Marijuana Businesses Not Eligible for Bankruptcy Protection in Mountain ‘High’ State,'” Law.com, August 25, 2015
- “In Trump Entertainment Resorts Bankruptcy, Court Rules Federal Labor Law ‘Trumps’ Bankruptcy Stay,” Law.com, July 30, 2015
- “Termination of Oil and Gas Leases for Failure to ‘Produce’,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIV, No. 7, at 34-35, 85, July 2015
- “Rejection of Oil and Gas Leases May Prove Futile,” Law360, May 14, 2015
- “Bankruptcy Court Orders Bank to Disgorge Over $1.5 Million for Allowing Account Overdrafts,” Law.com, May 10, 2015
- “Bank Loses Mortgage in Bankruptcy Due to Mere ‘Technicality,'” Law.com, April 5, 2015
- “Falling Oil Prices May Cause Termination of Producing Oil and Gas Leases,” Law.com, February 9, 2015
- Co-author, “Executory Contract Counterparty Trumps Critical-Vendor Status,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIII, No. 12, at 20-21, 98, December 2014
- “Lender Fumble Results in Borrower Walking Away from Bankruptcy With ‘Free’ Home,” Law.com, November 11, 2014
- Co-author, “Lenders take note of recent Fifth Circuit bankruptcy decision,” Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, October 30, 2014
- “Tax Lien Foreclosures Could Be Unraveled in Bankruptcy,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXIII, No. 8, at 44-45, 84, August 2014
- “Rule 37(e) and the Failure to Preserve Sanctions in E-Discovery,” American Bar Association, Bankruptcy & Insolvency Litigation Committee Digital Publication, July 2, 2014
- “Affordable Care Act May Stunt Economic Growth,” Law.com, June 13, 2014
- “‘Bullet-Proofing’ Make-Whole Payment Claims in Bankruptcy,” Journal of Corporate Renewal, Vol. 27, No. 4, at 30-33, May 2014
- “Hacked?: Federal Trade Commission Gets the Nod to Police Cybersecurity,” Law.com, May 8, 2014
- Co-author, “Safeguarding Lenders’ Entitlement to Make-Whole Payments in Bankruptcy,” Norton Rose Fulbright Legal Update, February 21, 2014 (published in Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law (April/May 2014))
- “Bankruptcy Not an Escape From Federal Healthcare Privacy Watchdogs,” Law.com, March 31, 2014
- Co-author, “Detroit’s Art: Priceless Public Treasure or City’s Disposable Assets?,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXII, No. 10, at 18, 92-93, November 2013
- Co-author, “Safeguarding Enforcement of Lien Subordination Agreements,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXII, No. 5, at 52-53, 88, June 2013
- “Code Doesn’t Address Health Care Privacy Concerns,” Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review, February 6, 2013
- Co-author, “Government Addresses Privacy Concerns in Bankruptcy Sales,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXI, No. 10, at 28, 70-71, November 2012
- “Continuing Real Estate Receiverships Post-Petition,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXI, No. 5, at 52-53, 104, June 2012
- Co-author, “Timing the Bankruptcy Filing of Commercial Real Estate,” Law360, March 16, 2012
- Co-author with David L. Barrack, David B. Schwartz and David Charme, “Mandatory Prerequisites to Chapter 11 Relief under §365(o) for Bank Holding Companies,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXXI, No. 2, at 34-35, 43, March 2012
- Co-author, “Supreme Court, Appellate Justices Weigh in on Trio of Notable Cases,” Journal of Corporate Renewal, Vol. 24, No. 8, at 24, October 2011
- Co-author with Mark A. Platt, “Delaware Court Cracks Down on Insufficiently Plead Preference-Action Complaints,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXX, No. 7, at 30, 62-63, September 2011
- Co-author with Mark A. Platt, “Stay Relief in Single-Asset Real Estate Cases Involving ‘Underwater’ Loans,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXX, No. 4, at 40-41, May 2011
- Co-author, “In re Delta Air Lines Inc.: Leveraged-Lease Transactions in Airline Bankruptcies,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXIX, No. 7, at 28, 72-73, September 2010
- “The Public’s Right to Access Judicial Records and Proceedings in Bankruptcy Court,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXIX, No. 4, at 42-43, 55, May 2010
- “Defrauded Parties’ Recovery of Funds from Innocent Third Parties: The Relief Defendant,” American Bankruptcy Institute, Bankruptcy Litigation Committee Newsletter, Vol. 6, No. 5, August 2009
- “Lender Drafting Mishaps’ Effect on Prepayment Premiums and Other Damages,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, Vol. XXVII, No. 6, at 26-27, 67, July/August 2008
Speeches, Presentations and Teaching
- “Prioritizing Home Ownership as a Goal of Affordable Housing,” panelist, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA) Annual Conference, New York, New York, April 26, 2022
- NCBJ Plenary: Circuit Splits Debate: Recharacterization of Debt to Equity, oral argument participant, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 95th Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana, October 8, 2021
- “The Midstream Contract World Defined in Four Parts,” panelist, 39th Annual Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference, University of Texas School of Law CLE Program, November 5, 2020
- “Energy: PG&E,” moderator, American Bankruptcy Institute Roundtable, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 93rd Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., November 1, 2019
- “Watch the Yard: Bankruptcy and the Student Debt Crisis,” panelist, NCBJ/NBA Annual Honorable Cornelius Blackshear Program, Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C., October 30, 2019
- Mock Valuation Trial: “Remember the Alamo: Shareholders vs. Hedge Funds,” participant, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 92nd Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October 29, 2018
- “Building Trial Skills” Training, faculty member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Dallas, Texas, June 2, 2018 thru June 7, 2018
- “Marketing and Branding: How to Build a Plan and Generate Leads,” panelist, University of Texas School of Law CLE Program “Managing Your Success: Practice Management at the Next Level,” Dallas, Texas, February 9, 2018
- “Purchasing Oil and Gas Assets in Bankruptcy,” presenter, Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory’s 9th International Energy Conference: “Power Plays: Drilling into Geothermal Energy Applications,” Dallas, Texas, January 11, 2018
- “Professional Development for Attorneys” Panel Presentation, 2nd Annual SWBLSA Convention, Dallas, Texas, January 11, 2018
- “Bankruptcy and Restructuring 2017,” participant, Corporate LiveWire Global Virtual Roundtable, November 2017
- “Playing Small Ball After the Big Leagues: Making the Transition From Big Law to Solo,” panelist, State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, June 22, 2017
- “Unique Issues Involved in Oil & Gas Bankruptcies & Restructurings,” speaker, Women’s Energy Network, North Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, April 12, 2017
- “546(e) and 547(c)(6) Safe Harbors: Expand or Limit?”, panelist, American Bankruptcy Institute, Live Webinar, September 12, 2016
- “Unique Issues Involved in Oil & Gas Bankruptcies & Restructurings,” speaker, Women’s Energy Network, North Texas, Dallas, Texas, April 19, 2016
- “Electronic Discovery (ESI) Issues for Business Lawyers – ESI Basics, Ethical Issues, Litigation Holds, New Federal Rules and Much More – Confronting the Brave New World (the Electronic Age),” panelist, American Bar Association Business Law Section Spring Meeting, Montreal, Canada , April 8, 2016
- “A Day in the Life of a Litigation Associate,” panelist, Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas February 22, 2016
- “Bankruptcy & Restructuring in the Oil & Gas Sector,” panelist, Knowledge Congress Webcast, February 19, 2016
- “Special Considerations for Companies Operating in a Distressed Oil and Gas Market,” presenter, EUCI Webinar, April 8, 2015
- “Current Healthcare Trends- When Will the Bleeding Stop?,” panelist, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors 13th Annual Advanced Restructuring & Plan of Reorganization Conference, New York, New York, November 17, 2014
- “Assuring e-Discovery Does Not Become an e-Disaster,” panelist, National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges 88th Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, October 9, 2014
- “How ‘Obama-Care’ is Impacting Small Businesses,” panelist, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors 30th Annual Bankruptcy & Restructuring Conference, Denver, Colorado, June 6, 2014
- “Unique Aspects of Asset Sales Involving Nonprofit Health Care Businesses,” panelist, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors Live Webinar, New York, New York, November 6, 2013
- “Emerging Healthcare Privacy Concerns in Bankruptcy,” keynote speaker, Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors 29th Annual Bankruptcy & Restructuring Conference, Chicago, Illinois, June 5, 2013
- “Fifth Circuit Bankruptcy Judges Discuss Restructuring Hot Topics,” co-moderator, American Bar Association Bankruptcy and Insolvency Litigation Committee Live Audio Presentation, Dallas, Texas, May 14, 2013
- “Continuing Real Estate Receiverships Post-Petition,” speaker, Houston Association of Bankruptcy Paralegals Annual Seminar, Houston, Texas, November 9, 2012
- “Privacy and Data Protection in Bankruptcy,” speaker, Dallas Bar Association, Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section, Dallas, Texas, November 7, 2012
- “Is Easier Dismissal the Better Part of Jurisprudence?: Iqbal, Twombly and the Tougher 12(b)(6) Standard,” panelist, National Bar Association Mid-Winter Meeting, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, January 21, 2012
Civic and Community Involvement
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow (Elected by Board of Trustees in November 2021)
- Member of the Board of Directors of Visiting Nurse Association (September 2018-present)
- Compliance & Audit Committee Chair and Executive Committee Member (May 2019- present)
- Dallas Bar Foundation, Fellow (Class of 2013)
