Profile

The firm is committed to providing all clients and counsel with effective, forceful and efficient representation and advice in the full range of commercial law and insolvency matters.

James A. Tiemstra is the principal of the Law Offices of James A. Tiemstra. Formerly, Mr. Tiemstra was a shareholder in and Chair of Miller, Starr & Regalia’s Bankruptcy Practice Group for eighteen years. Throughout his twenty-five year career, Mr. Tiemstra has focused his practice on commercial law and bankruptcy, business reorganizations, creditors’ rights and workouts, equipment leasing law and litigation, and has represented virtually all of the different participants in bankruptcy cases.  He is Certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification and is one of the original volunteer Resolution Advocates for the Bankruptcy Dispute Resolution Program of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.  He is a Member of the Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco.  He also is a longtime member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, and is a member, former President and founding Director of the Bay Area Bankruptcy Forum.

Mr. Tiemstra’s active practice has involved him in all aspects of bankruptcy law in cases across the nation.  He is admitted to all federal bankruptcy, trial and appellate courts in California, Arizona and Hawaii, and is a member of the bar of the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois and the Western District of Michigan.  Mr. Tiemstra is also admitted to the United States Supreme Court where he represented the appellee in Moldo v. Matsco, Inc. , 534 U.S. 1130, 122 S.Ct. 1069, 151 L.Ed. 2d 972 (2002).  He holds an AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer since the inception of a nomination and polling process conducted by Law & Politics Magazine.

Mr. Tiemstra’s practice has involved him as lead counsel in complex appeals, a number of which have resulted in “cutting edge” decisions, e.g. , In re Cybernetic Services, Inc. , 252 F.3d 1039 (9th Cir. 2001); In re Haley, 950 F.2d 588 (9th Cir. 1991); and In re Montclair Retail Center, L.P. , 117 B.R. 663 (9th Cir. BAP 1995).

In addition to his busy practice, Mr. Tiemstra also has been a frequent speaker at seminars addressing bankruptcy issues and has written extensively on the subject of bankruptcy law.  His publications include a recent article on the Impact of the New Bankruptcy Amendments on Real Estate Law & Practice in The Los Angeles Daily Journal, July 8, 2005, as a co-author of “Designation Rights” Sales: Triumph of Expedience Over the Code?  ABI Journal, Vol. XX, No. 7, Sept. 2001.  He is also a contributing author of the Chapters on Landlord and Tenant, and Deeds of Trust in Miller & Starr, California Real Estate 3d. (2000).

Mr. Tiemstra received his J.D. from Golden Gate University School of Law in 1980, where he was the Notes and Comments Editor of the Golden Gate University Law Review.  He received his undergraduate degree from Lawrence University, magna cum laude, in 1977.  He joined the bankruptcy law boutique of Hoffman, Kelly, Stokes & Izmirian directly out of law school, and was in charge of bankruptcy matters for the Northern California office of Ross & Ivanjack from 1982 until joining Miller, Starr & Regalia in 1987.