Kristina M. Johnson

Kristina Johnson is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. She provides sophisticated counsel in complex and what are often cross-jurisdictional bankruptcy and creditors’ rights, workouts, receiverships, commercial litigation, and collection matters. Described as "an expert bankruptcy litigator" in Chambers USA 2020, Kristina has represented secured and unsecured creditors, buyers of assets in bankruptcy sales, contract parties, trustees, and unsecured creditors' committees and debtors. Kristina served as co-leader of Jones Walker's bankruptcy, restructuring & creditors'-debtors' rights team from 2012–2020. As the only female attorney in Mississippi selected as a Fellow by the American College of Bankruptcy and one of only six attorneys in Mississippi who are board certified in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification, she provides strong advocacy, focused representation, and sophisticated counsel in a wide range of matters involving distressed businesses and assets. Kristina has a consistent record of success developing and implementing practical solutions to complex and multi-jurisdictional disputes. Over the course of her nearly 30 years in practice, she has handled a broad range of bankruptcy and insolvency litigation in Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 cases, as well as in less-common Chapter 9 and Chapter 12 cases and Chapter 13 class-action adversary proceedings and receiverships. She has represented clients in a multitude of industries, including oil and gas, healthcare (including pharmacies), hotel and hospitality, restaurant, retail, real estate, and banking and financial services. Kristina recognizes that bankruptcy cases and receiverships often involve business, legal, and regulatory issues that extend well beyond the financial concerns at the heart of a given matter. She regularly draws on her extensive experience and leadership acumen to coordinate teams of in-house and outside counsel and help clients manage complicated claims, cross-claims, and any parallel criminal proceedings to a satisfactory conclusion. A prime example is when she represented the interests of multiple clients victimized in the largest mortgage-fraud scheme in Mississippi history, which involved more than 40 separate Chapter 7 cases and related federal criminal prosecutions and federal civil litigation. Recognized for her ability to manage complex cases, she was named by the US Trustee's Office to serve as Chapter 11 trustee in a complicated bankruptcy case involving parallel federal and international criminal proceedings and related federal litigation. In the course of this matter, Kristina worked closely with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Postmaster General, and a US embassy in Latin America. She has successfully recovered millions of dollars stolen from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy estate and helped stabilize the business operations of the company for which she still serves as Chapter 11 trustee. Kristina is a peer-selected Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and the American College of Bankruptcy. She is also active in the leadership of numerous national, state, and local bar associations, conferences, and related organizations. Kristina has served on multiple committees during her career, including the steering committee to rewrite the Mississippi Local Bankruptcy Rules. She is an annual contributing author to West's® Bankruptcy Exemption Manual and presents on a broad range of bankruptcy and other insolvency industry issues.