John T. Carroll, III

Co-Chair, Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring

Wilmington

(302) 295-2028

(302) 295-2013

John has substantial experience representing a broad spectrum of clients, including secured lenders, trustees, creditors’ committees, and debtors-in-possession in bankruptcy proceedings and commercial loan workouts.

John has a substantial practice in representing trustees in bankruptcy and currently represents trustees in the notable bankruptcy cases of American Business Financial Services, Inc., Fenwick Automotive Products Limited, Hospital Partners of America, Inc., HRP Myrtle Beach Holdings, LLC, HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation, Monaco Coach Corporation, and Pope & Talbot, Inc. John served as interim trustee in the nationally prominent bankruptcy cases of the Foundation for New Era Philanthropy, Inc. and Nutri/Systems, Inc. John has also served as a Chapter 7 panel trustee and Chapter 11 trustee in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

John is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, where he is also an adjunct professor currently teaching the Chapter 11 bankruptcy course.

John has regularly lectured on a variety of topics for various organizations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, Pennsylvania Bar Institute, Commercial Law League of America, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Institute of Management Accountants, Endowment & Foundation Summit on Investment Management, National Business Institute, and National Association of Credit Managers.

John graduated from Villanova University in 1978 with a B.S. in accounting. In 1981, John received his J.D. from the Delaware Law School of Widener University. Since 1981, he has been concentrating his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, and restructuring. He is board certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Bankruptcy Board of Certification and has been designated as a Super Lawyer in Delaware. John is licensed to practice law in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Experience

News

The American Bankruptcy Institute Selects Cozen O’Connor Transaction as Asset Sale of the Year

April 20, 2024

Cozen O’Connor is proud to announce that the firm’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Group is the recipient of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Asset Sale of the Year award.

Bankruptcy Doldrums Persist Despite Economic Pressures

April 28, 2022

John Carroll is quoted in a Law360 article that discusses the stagnant rate of bankruptcy filings in the first quarter of 2022 despite rampant inflation and increasing interest rates. The article also covers how this pattern has affected many firms and what experts think the future holds.

More Than 205 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 19, 2021

Best Lawyers selected 210 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

200 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch By The Best Lawyers In America

August 20, 2020

Best Lawyers selected 200 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 23 of the firm’s nationwide offices for inclusion in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America© (Copyright 2020 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC).

138 Cozen O’Connor Attorneys Named to the Best Lawyers in America

August 28, 2019

Best Lawyers selected 138 Cozen O’Connor lawyers from 21 of the firm’s national offices for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Publications

Recommendations for Making and Responding to Requests for Credit Accommodations [Alert]

March 23, 2020

John T. Carroll and Mark E. Felger discuss how to request credit accommodations from your creditors and considerations before doing so.

Whose Lien Is It, Anyway? Decisions Regarding Maritime Liens Against Vessels

January 14, 2019

John T. Carroll, III and Simon E. Fraser authored an article titled “Whose Lien Is It, Anyway? Decisions Regarding Maritime Liens Against Vessels” which appears in the latest edition of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

Courts Split Over Interpretation of CIMLA Provisions Regarding Suppliers’ Maritime Liens Against Vessels

July 12, 2017

John T. Carroll, III and Simon E. Fraser, both members of Cozen O’Connor’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Restructuring Practice, discuss in an article with the American Bankruptcy Institute, Secured Credit Committee the interpretation of the Commercial Instruments and Maritime Lien Act (CIMLA), which protects suppliers of goods by granting a maritime lien against any vessel to which the supplier provides “necessaries.”

Third Circuit: Carrier’s “Extended” Maritime Possessory Liens Upheld [American Bankruptcy Institute Journal]

August 01, 2016

John Carroll and Simon Fraser discuss a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decision on maritime possessory liens in the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal.

Seventh Circuit Holds Pre-Bankruptcy Termination of Lease May Be Avoidable Transfer [Bankruptcy Insolvency & Restructuring Alert]

April 07, 2016

John T. Carroll, III and Keith L. Kleinman discuss the recent decision of In re Great Lakes Quick Lube LP, in which the Seventh Circuit held that the termination of a debtor’s leasehold interest pre-bankruptcy via a termination agreement is subject to being set aside as either a preferential and/or fraudulent transfer under the Bankruptcy Code.

Events & Seminars

Past Events

Construction SuperConference 2021

December 06, 2021 - Orlando, Florida

Education

  • Widener University Delaware Law School, J.D., 1981
  • Villanova University, B.S., 1978

Awards & Honors

Selected to Delaware Super Lawyers 2012, 2017-2020
* This award is conferred by Super Lawyers. A description of the selection methodology can be found here. No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Court Of Common Pleas - Bucks County
  • Court Of Common Pleas - Chester County
  • Court Of Common Pleas - Delaware County
  • Court Of Common Pleas - Philadelphia County
  • Court Of Common Pleas- Montgomery County
  • Delaware Court of Chancery
  • Delaware Superior Court
  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court
  • Superior Court of New Jersey
  • Superior Court of Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of Delaware
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court -- Delaware
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court -- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court -- Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court -- New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court -- Delaware
  • U.S. District Court -- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- Middle District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court -- New Jersey
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Delaware State Bar Association
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • Philadelphia Bar Association 
  • National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees
  • Commercial Law League of America