Thomas B. Rupp

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Thomas B. Rupp

Keller Benvenutti Kim LLP, San Francisco, CA

TOM is senior counsel with Keller Benvenutti Kim LLP in San Francisco and has represented debtors, creditors, committees, trustees and purchasers in bankruptcy cases, general assignments for the benefit of creditors, out-of-court restructurings and other distressed transactions. His bankruptcy experience crosses many industries, including energy, technology, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation, education, real estate, wine and entertainment. He has represented clients in some of the largest and most complex chapter 11 cases filed in California, including PG&E’s restructuring of its wildfire liabilities and the liquidation of omnichannel auto retailer Shift Technologies. During law school, he externed first with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of California, then with the U.S. Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit.

Tom is a member of the board of the Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum, and he has served in many leadership roles for the California Bankruptcy Forum’s annual Insolvency Conference, most recently as its conference co-chair in 2023. He is an advisor to the California Lawyers Association’s Insolvency Law Committee, where has written and provided editorial guidance for articles on recent cases of interest to bankruptcy practitioners. He also is a former chair of the Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. In 2022, he was honored by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges as a member of its Next Generation program. He also has been recognized in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America, and in the 2025 edition of Northern California Super Lawyers.

Within his firm, Tom has been instrumental in instructing new staff and junior attorneys, as well as developing best practices and procedures for chapter 11 cases that the firm has used in case after case. A lifelong Californian, he spends his time outside of work exploring the natural wonders and points of historical interest of the Golden State and beyond.

Education

  • J.D., UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS, SCHOOL OF LAW
  • B.A., POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

“Tom is thoughtful in counseling clients, respectful of opposing parties and courts, and passionate about getting not just the right result, but also the result that best fits the principles of the Bankruptcy Code and can guide future decisions.”