David E. Lemke

David Lemke is a bankruptcy attorney in Holland & Knight's Nashville office. Trustees, lenders, creditors' committees and other clients requiring assistance with defaulted bonds or other financial instruments rely on Mr. Lemke to provide sophisticated, practical advice and counsel. For more than 25 years, he has designed creative solutions for clients both inside and outside of formal proceedings. Whether a workout is undertaken within the bankruptcy court setting, a receivership is necessary to enforce the remedies of a trustee or lender, or an out-of-court restructuring is needed, clients can be assured that he has the experience and judgment to craft a resolution.

Mr. Lemke enjoys the competitive nature of his work and thrives on bringing a win to the client. He assertively and tenaciously finds leverage within a matter to achieve the client's goal.

In November 2011, Jefferson County, Alabama, filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, making it the largest municipal bankruptcy ever filed at that time. Representing the trustee for certain sewer debt exceeding $3 billion, Mr. Lemke and the team were intimately involved in the historic proceedings. In July 2013, the City of Detroit filed its Chapter 9 bankruptcy petition, thereby eclipsing Jefferson County as the largest municipal bankruptcy ever filed. Drawing on the experience gained in Jefferson County, Mr. Lemke and the team were engaged to represent the trustee for Detroit's water and sewer bonds – totaling almost $6 billion – in this historic case.