Amber M.  Carson
Partner

Going through the bankruptcy process is never easy, and having an empathetic and patient advisor can make all the difference. I build trust with my clients quickly, because I take the time to walk them through every aspect of our strategy to resolve the case and help them understand why each step is essential to achieving the best possible outcome.

Amber Carson guides debtors, creditors, official committees and other parties through every phase of commercial bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters before courts in Texas and across the country. She has helped clients achieve positive outcomes in difficult cases spanning many industries, from oil and gas, healthcare and retail to restaurants, construction and manufacturing. Amber also handles bankruptcy-related litigation involving a number of complex issues, including fraudulent transfers, preference actions, contract disputes and many more.

Amber has built a large network of connections through her leadership roles in several industry and community organizations, including the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Bankruptcy Law Section for the State Bar of Texas, and the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation. She is committed to multiple organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on a local, state, and national level, and serves on Gray Reed’s DEI Committee.

Before joining Gray Reed, Amber served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Harlin D. Hale, Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Texas. She gained valuable experience while analyzing challenging legal issues and viewing hundreds of hearings in bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings.

Representative Experience
  • Fresh Acquisitions, LLC, Case No. 21-30720 (Bankr. N.D. Tex) (operator of Furr’s Fresh Buffet®, Old Country Buffet®, Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse® and other restaurants with approx. 70 locations across 27 states): Counsel to Debtors
  • CiCi’s Holdings, Inc., Case No. 21-30146 (Bankr. N.D. Tex) (owner, operator, and franchisor of restaurants with approx. 318 locations across 26 states): Counsel to the Debtors
  • BJ Services, LLC, Case No. 20-33627 (Bankr. S.D. Tex) (a leading provider of hydraulic fracturing and cementing services to upstream oil and gas companies): Co-Counsel to the Debtors, Counsel to the Wind-Down Trustee
  • J.C. Penney Co., Inc., et al., Case No. 20-20182 (Bankr. S.D. Tex.): Co-counsel to GLAS USA LLC in its capacities as DIP Administrative Agent and successor Term Loan Agent, and GLAS Americas LLC in its capacity as DIP Collateral Agent
  • Southern Foods Group, LLC, et al., Case No. 19-36313 (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) (the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of dairy and dairy case products in the United States): Co-counsel to Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A., New York Branch, in its capacities as DIP Agent, DIP Arranger, Prepetition Agent, and Receivables Financing Agent
  • Buzzards Bench, LLC et al., Case No. 20-32391 (owner and operator of natural gas wells and processing plant): Counsel to the Debtors
  • Blitz Energy Services, LLC, Cause No. 19-04027 (68th District Court of Dallas County, Texas) (oil and gas midstream construction services): Counsel to the Receiver
  • Fenton Motors of Dallas, et al., Cause No. 219-00424-2019 (219th District Court of Collin County, Texas) (automobile dealerships): Counsel to the Receiver
  • PHI Inc., et al., Case No. 19-30923 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.) (helicopter services): Local Counsel to the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders
  • Rockies Region 2006 Limited Partnership, et al., Case No. 18-33513 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.) (oil and gas limited partnerships): Counsel to the Debtors
  • In re LaPier, Case No 18-03643 (Bankr. M.D. Fla.): Special Counsel to the Trustee
  • Lockwood Holdings, Inc., et al., Case No. 18-30197 (Bankr. S.D. Tex.) (international supplier of pipe, valves, fittings, and flanges to the oil and gas industry): Counsel to the Debtors
  • Preferred Care Inc., et al., Case No. 17-44642 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.) (skilled nursing facilities): Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
  • Vasari, LLC, Case No. 17-44346 (Bankr. N.D. Tex.) (Dairy Queen franchise): Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors
Thought Leadership / News
August 29, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Navigating Involuntary Bankruptcies: Practical Considerations for Mitigating Risks

American Bankruptcy Institute’s 2023 Southwest Bankruptcy Conference

June 6, 2023 
 Speeches and Presentations
Great Debates: Does a Trustee Have a 10-Year Lookback Period to Avoid Fraudulent Transfers Under Section 544(b) When the IRS is the “Golden Creditor”?

Bankruptcy Law Section for the State Bar of Texas’s 2023 Bankruptcy Bench Bar Conference

Honors
  • Named to the American Bar Association's "On the Rise - Top 40 Young Lawyers Award" (2023)
  • Inaugural recipient of the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Award given by the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas (2023)
  • Named a Best Lawyer Under 40 by D Magazine (2020, 2023 - 2024)
  • Named a Rising Star by Texas Super Lawyers (a Thomson Reuters company) as published in Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers magazines (2019–2023)
    • Up-and-Coming 100: Texas Rising Stars Top List (2023)
    • Up-and-Coming 50: Women Texas Rising Stars Top List (2023)
  • Selected by her peers for inclusion in Woodward/White, Inc.'s The Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" in the field of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2021 - 2024)
  • Named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” (2022)
  • Selected to participate in the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges Next Generation program (2022)
  • Recipient of the Romina L. Mulloy-Bossio Achievement Award given by the Bankruptcy Law Section of the State Bar of Texas (2021)
  • Recipient of a Presidential Citation given by the Dallas Bar Association for her work on the Bankruptcy Project Series (2021)
Organizational Involvement

Professional Activities, Memberships & Affiliations

  • American Bankruptcy Institute
    • Diversity Working Group, member (2020 - present)
      • Pipeline Programs Subcommittee
      • Training, Accessibility, and Gender-Terminology Subcommittee, Chair (June 2022 - present)
    • Young & New Members Committee, member (2018 - present)
      • Education Co-Director (May 2023 - present)
      • Member Relations Co-Director (May 2022 - May 2023)
    • Business Reorganization and Emerging Industries and Technology Committee (2018 - present)
  • State Bar of Texas
    • Pro Bono Workgroup, Bankruptcy Law Section Liaison
    • Bankruptcy Law Section
      • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (2020 - present)
      • Pipeline Programs Subcommittee, Chair (2022 - present)
      • Secretary (2022 - 2024)
      • Vice President - Law School Relations (2020 - 2022)
      • Bankruptcy Bench Bar Conference, Planning Committee (2021, 2023)
      • Young Lawyers Committee, Chair (2018 - 2020)  
    • Co-founder and Director of the SMU Law School Pro Bono Project
  • International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, DFW Chapter
    • Board Member, 2026 Chair-Elect
    • Membership Co-Chair (2019 - 2023)
    • Communications Chair (2017 - 2018)
  • DFW Association of Young Bankruptcy Lawyers
    • President (2021)
    • President Elect (2020)
    • Vice President (2018 - 2019)
  • American Inns of Court
    • National New Lawyers Task Force, Chair (2018 - 2019)
    • The Hon. John C. Ford American Inn of Court, Barrister
      • Membership Committee (2021 - 2022)
      • Programs Committee (2019 - 2020)
  • Dallas Association of Young Lawyers 
    • Leadership Class Member (2017 - 2018)
  • Dallas Bar Association
    • Bankruptcy & Commercial Law Section  –  Member
  • Academy of American and International Law – Faculty Member

Community Activities, Memberships & Affiliations

  • Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law – Guest Lecturer, Creditor’s Rights
  • Human Rights Initiative of North Texas – Pro Bono Attorney
  • LegalLine – Volunteer Attorney
  • Texas Legal Answers - Volunteer Attorney
  • North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society  –  Volunteer and First Connection Program Mentor
Education
  • J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (2012)
  • B.B.A., University of Massachusetts at Amherst (2009)
Judicial Clerkships
  • Honorable Harlin D. Hale, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Texas

Bar Admission
  • Texas (2012)
Court Admissions
  • United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas
  • United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas
  • United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Texas
  • United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court, Western District of Texas
When I Feel Most At Home
  • Watercolor painting
  • Trying out new types of wine and new restaurants in DFW
  • Traveling to new places, both in and outside of the United States