BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS

State Bar of California

State Bar of New York

United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Jay K. Chien is a Certified Specialist in Bankruptcy Law, State Bar of California, whose practice focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and bankruptcy appellate litigation. He also advises businesses and executives on corporate governance, commercial transactions, regulatory compliance, and consumer protection matters.

Mr. Chien brings experience in private practice, federal bankruptcy oversight, and trustee representation. Before returning to private practice, he served as a trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice’s United States Trustee Program in the Northern District of California. His work included financial analysis, corporate governance oversight, and litigation in complex Chapter 11 proceedings involving technology, biomedical, food and beverage, consumer goods, and real estate holding companies.

Previously, Mr. Chien served for more than eleven years as Chief Staff Counsel to the Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee in Santa Ana, overseeing legal matters involving more than 5,000 active consumer bankruptcy cases annually. In that role, he supervised personnel and office operations, directed consumer protection efforts, and led initiatives addressing privacy and information security.

Mr. Chien’s appellate experience includes victories on issues of first impression before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel in In re Nemeth and In re Carmona. His practice encompasses motion practice, mediation, and settlement negotiations, as well as advising debtors and other stakeholders in Chapter 11 restructuring and insolvency proceedings.

In his corporate practice, Mr. Chien advises clients on ownership structures, equity investments, shareholder rights, regulatory reporting obligations, and strategic business matters. He has provided legal services to businesses across the food and beverage, healthcare, importing, manufacturing, online media, and pharmaceutical industries.

Mr. Chien received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a Centennial Fellow, served as an editor of the Fordham Environmental Law Review and Fordham Moot Court Board, and received the Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award. He received his B.A. in Political Science, with a specialization in International Relations, from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Professional Involvement

Board Member, Orange County Bankruptcy Forum, 2026–2027
Program Chair and Author, Orange County Bar Association Annual Consumer Law Update, 2014–2024
Advisory Committee Member, Central District of California Federal Bench-Bar Committee, 2012–2024
Presenter, United States Trustee Annual Training Seminars, Central and Northern Districts of California, 2012–2025