Bingham McCutchen may have dissolved two years ago into Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, but the Boston-based firm is still listed as an unsecured creditor in the bankruptcy this month of defense contractor Fansteel Inc., The American Lawyer reported today. The Creston, Iowa-based aerospace parts manufacturer blamed slumping oil prices and a decline in U.S. government spending on operations in Afghanistan for its bankruptcy filing in Des Moines on Sept. 13. Fansteel, which is being advised in its bankruptcy case by Des Moines-based Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor & Fairgrave, owes $147,653.94 to Bingham for legal services, according to a list of the company’s 20 largest unsecured creditors. Jeffrey Goetz, a restructuring partner at Bradshaw Fowler advising Fansteel in its chapter 11 case, said in an email that the “debtor’s prior counsel at Bingham moved over to Venable.” Venable is separately owed $327,744.75 by Fansteel, making the firm the company’s third-largest unsecured creditor. It was unclear which former Bingham partner had been doing work for Fansteel at Venable. Bingham and Venable aren’t the only law creditors owed money by Fansteel. Other firms appearing on a list of the company’s largest unsecured creditors include: Indianapolis-based Bose McKinney & Evans ($169,271.20); Faegre Baker Daniels ($158,214.93); Clausen Miller ($73,043.02); and Minneapolis-based Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand ($66,157.95).
