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"Judge Nelms impresses me not only with his diligence, wisdom, and honesty, but with his uncanny ability to herd cats."

Greg Craig, Member, Oversight Board

Griddy Energy LLC

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“The main thing must be the main thing.“

–Pat Riley

In any engagement, the first task is to identify the objective — the main thing. Once that is done, the main thing must be the main thing. All actions thereafter must serve that objective.

For example, a lawyer submits a thick brief to the judge. What is the first thing the judge does with it? She turns to the last page to see how long it is. Why? She is trying to determine how much of her life force will be drained by this brief.

Seeing that it is long, she looks for ways to mitigate the pain. Is there a summary of the argument? If so, that’s good. Are there block quotations, plenty of single-spaced footnotes, and an appendix with documents chock-full of legalease? If so, that’s also good. She knows that she can ignore all of that. After all, if that information were really important, the lawyer would have incorporated it into easy-to-read text.

Does the lawyer know this? Probably. But he has a secondary objective: to cover all the bases by throwing in the kitchen sink. By doing so, he has sacrificed persuasiveness for personal comfort. He has lost sight of the main thing.

I try never to lose sight of the main thing and to do only those things that serve the ultimate objective. In doing so I am guided by five work principles:

Show up on time;
Listen;
Work efficiently;
Routinely turn off the meter and work for my own sense of pride; and
Work with people who share these principles.

Practice Areas

Independent Director/Manager

Litigation/plan Trustee

Expert Witness

Mediator

Smart. Practical. Available. Honest. Those four words describe Judge Nelms. I have had the privilege of appearing before him when he was on the bench and working with him since he retired. He is the total package. He understands the issues. He thinks about solutions. He is always available, and he can be trusted by you, your client, your opponent, and (most of all) the court. There isn’t a weakness in his game. He is a definite value add, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use Judge Nelms in the future in any role.
Marcus HeltPartner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP
I served with Judge Russell Nelms on the Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Bankruptcy Advisory Committee whose purpose was to serve in a consulting and advisory role with respect to issues affecting the administration of the bankruptcy estate of Brazos including potential conflicts of interests. The near $2 billion Brazos bankruptcy was extremely complex with multiple parties including the underlying 16 member distribution cooperatives, natural gas suppliers, ERCOT, the Texas PUC and the USDA Rural Utilities Service.
When our opinion was sought, after thorough deliberation among the committee, Judge Nelms wrote our responses in a clear, concise, reasoned, and legally grounded manner. All of our opinions were well received.
Judge Nelms did a superlative job leading our advisory committee, and it was an honor and a pleasure working with Russ.
Mike GreeneRetired Vice Chairman Energy Future Holdings, formerly TXU
During the years that Judge Nelms was on the bankruptcy bench, I appeared before him numerous times, and win or lose, I was always satisfied that my clients’ cases had received his full attention and consideration. His careful analysis and consideration resulted in thoughtful and well-reasoned opinions. In the past two years, Judge Nelms was the mediator in two bankruptcy cases in which I was involved, each with long histories of acrimonious and expensive litigation. Judge Nelms mediated both cases to successful conclusions. Judge Nelms’s vast and deep knowledge of bankruptcy law and his extensive experience as a practicing attorney are invaluable to parties seeking a mediated solution. Participants feel that Judge Nelms is courteous, kind, fair and knowledgeable.
Behrooz P. VidaThe Vida Law Firm, PLLC
Facing a very challenging engagement as the liquidating trustee of the defunct Griddy Energy entities, Judge Nelms has been able to utilize the trust’s limited cash resources to ‘do more with less’ towards achieving the highest and best chance of a recovery for the unsecured creditors. Through thoughtful analysis and instinct honed over years as a bankruptcy practitioner and as a bankruptcy judge in the Northern District of Texas, Judge Nelms’s diligence and measured decision-making approach to his work has proven invaluable to the Griddy Oversight Committee.
Holland N. O'NeilPartner, Foley & Lardner LLP