John M. Duck is a member of the firm’s Transactions and Corporate Advisory Services Practice Group. He previously served two terms as Chairman of the firm's Executive Committee, and is the former Team Leader of the firm’s Commercial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Practice Team. Mr. Duck’s practice is concentrated in complex corporate restructuring matters in both bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy contexts. Mr. Duck advises and represents clients in connection with the acquisition and disposition of corporate assets. He also represents and counsels clients in commercial lending matters, including debtor-in-possession financing transactions. Mr. Duck has represented a wide variety of parties in commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcy matters, including pre-bankruptcy and debtor-in-possession lenders, creditors and creditor committees, debtors, purchasers, lessors, franchisors, and other constituent parties in the restructuring process. Mr. Duck has represented parties in bankruptcy cases in most business segments including the following: oil and gas; manufacturing; maritime; oil field services; gaming; commercial real estate; retail; food services; electronics; shipbuilding; agri-business; consumer; franchise; pharmaceutical; chemical; fuel oil; construction; music; and asbestos.  Mr. Duck frequently appears in bankruptcy cases throughout the Southeastern United States.

In the community, Mr. Duck formerly served as Senior Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, and is Chair of the Board’s Nominating Committee. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for the New Orleans Ballet Association, and a member of its Executive Board. Mr. Duck is an active member of several professional organizations including the Louisiana State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is also a Fellow of the Louisiana Bar Foundation.  Mr. Duck is a member of the Greater New Orleans High School Football Officials Association and has officiated high school football for over 20 years. 

Mr. Duck is admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, the Southern District of Alabama and the Northern District of Florida.   
Mr. Duck has been honored with several prestigious awards for his contributions to the New Orleans and legal communities. In April 2008, he was honored among East Jefferson General Hospital’s “Great Gentlemen” and in 2006 he was named among New Orleans CityBusiness magazine’s “Leaders in Law.” Mr. Duck has also been named to the New Orleans Pro Bono Project’s Honor Roll, and is consistently listed among The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA Directory and Louisiana SuperLawyers.

Creditors’ Committee – Advantages and Disadvantages of Serving On a Committee, 15^th Annual Utility Bankruptcy Conference, October 2008

Co-Author, Recent Fifth Circuit Decision on Confirmation and Appellate Issues, Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference, Inc., January 2010