John R. Luze

Competent on the technical aspects, but communication could improve

I engaged John Luze at Kirkland & Ellis to advise my small manufacturing company during a complex negotiation with a key supplier who had filed for Chapter 11. Given his recognition in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights law, I was confident in his technical expertise, and that proved true. His analysis of our position within the supplier's reorganization was precise, and he clearly leveraged his experience from Washington University's law program and his years in Illinois practice. The strategy he outlined was sound. However, the experience was mixed on the service side. Response times to emails were sometimes slower than I'd hoped during a time-sensitive matter, which added to my stress. While he was always thorough in our meetings, I occasionally felt I had to proactively seek updates rather than receiving them routinely. For a straightforward legal matter, his competence is evident, but for clients who prioritize frequent, proactive communication as part of the service, there may be a gap. He successfully protected our financial interests in the bankruptcy proceeding, but the process required more client-side management of the relationship than I anticipated.