Several Associates Also Join the AmLaw 200 Law Firm in Del Mar Heights and Orange County

May 21, 2025 (San Diego): — Experienced bankruptcy and commercial lending attorney Maria K. Pum has joined Procopio as a Partner in its downtown San Diego office. With more than three decades of experience representing creditors, borrowers, trustees, and institutions in high-stakes financial matters, Pum brings legal expertise and strategic thinking to her clients and the firm. She joins Procopio from San Diego-based Henderson Caverly & Pum LLP.

“Maria Pum is an excellent addition to our growing firm,” said Procopio Managing Partner Dennis Doucette. “Her reputation is unmatched, and her ability to navigate both the legal and business implications of complex transactions will be a great asset for our clients.”

Maria’s arrival significantly strengthens the firm’s bench in bankruptcy, secured lending, and complex commercial litigation. Her practice spans all phases of secured lending, from the origination of real estate and construction loans to the restructuring, enforcement, and litigation of distressed debt. She has advised clients in some of the most high-profile bankruptcies and restructurings in California and beyond.

Maria’s clients have included Fortune 100 companies, national and private lenders, high-net-worth individuals, venture capital and private equity firms, and real estate developers. She has handled asset sales in bankruptcy, defended clawback claims, and steered clients through workouts, loan restructures, and creditor disputes. Maria also has significant experience in litigation tied to commercial real estate, contract enforcement, and insolvency.

“I’m excited to join Procopio and its deep bench of skilled attorneys,” said Maria. “I look forward to growing my practice alongside legal talent with an established reputation for excellence throughout Southern California.”

Maria’s career highlights include serving as lead counsel to a Chapter 11 debtor in a case that spanned decades; defense counsel to a national online platform in protecting payments from clawback by a bankruptcy trustee; advisor to venture capital firms acquiring assets out of bankruptcy; and counsel to a national financial institution in many contexts, including negotiating and documenting multiple construction loans, documenting syndicated loans and protecting and enforcing the lender’s rights in chapter 11 proceedings.

Recognized by Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers for nearly two decades, Maria has also earned the AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and was named a 2024 Woman of Influence in Law by the San Diego Business Journal. Maria earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) and holds a B.A. in Economics from UCLA. She has served as President of the San Diego Law Library Justice Foundation.

Also joining Procopio are several other attorneys:

• Senior Associate Karina Lo, who represents employers in key employment law matters, from counseling to litigation, joins our Orange County office from Haynes and Boone LLP.
• Associate Benjamin White, who represents lenders and loan servicers in consumer, eminent domain, asset forfeiture, and title-curative litigation, joins our Del Mar Heights office from Troutman Pepper Locke.