Trials & Litigation
BigLaw bankruptcy partner literally lends an ear to cause of Claire’s sale
Kirkland & Ellis bankruptcy partner Joshua Sussberg was so committed to finding a buyer to keep his client Claire’s as a going concern that he vowed to get his ear pierced if the team succeeded. (Photo from Shutterstock)
Updated: Kirkland & Ellis bankruptcy partner Joshua Sussberg was so committed to finding a buyer to keep his client Claire’s as a going concern that he vowed to get his ear pierced if the team succeeded.
After jewelry and accessories retailer Claire’s found a buyer for its North American operations, Sussberg kept his promise, report Law.com (via Above the Law) and 9fin.
After approval of the sale to private equity company Ames Watson, Sussberg got his left ear pierced by a Claire’s employee—in the courtroom.
“When I made my commitment on the record, it was a very slim chance that we were going to be able to be where we are today,” Sussberg told 9fin. “I am a man of my word.”
Sussberg made his piercing pledge at the end of a hearing in which courtroom participants confessed to Claire’s connections, he told the ABA Journal in an email.
Joshua Sussberg pictured in 1995, when he had his ear pierced at Claire’s in South Florida. Sussberg recently got his ear pierced again during a court hearing for Claire’s. (Photos courtesy of Joshua Sussberg)
“My partner, Alex Schwarzman, was explaining to the court at the very first hearing in the Chapter 11 case that Claire’s held a special place in her heart because she got her ears pierced there,” Sussberg recalls. “The judge remarked that his daughters also had their ears pierced at Claire’s. Ms. Schwarzman responded that so many others have had their ears pierced at Claire’s, including me—in 1995 at a Claire’s in Florida when I was in high school.”
Schwarzman offered proof, holding up an old picture of Sussberg in which he sported an earring.
“At the end of the hearing, I told the judge we pledged to do whatever it takes to help secure a going concern transaction and keep this brand alive,” Sussberg says. “And I said I would go so far as to re-pierce my ear if we were able to secure a buyer. The judge said he was going to hold me to that.”
Sussberg’s high school ear piercing lasted six months until his father got fed up. Sussberg said he won’t keep his current earring any longer than that time frame.
“But I’ll do whatever it takes for our clients,” he told Law.com.
Updated Sept. 17 at 1:45 p.m. to include Joshua Sussberg’s comments.
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