He represents a full range of international clients, concentrating in the representation of secured lenders and creditor rights. He also represents borrowers, debtors and trustees. As a bankruptcy litigator, he has tried a wide range of large, sophisticated matters that arise in bankruptcy cases.

Mr. Lipke has a significant representation of financial institutions in structuring, workouts and foreclosures in international equipment and aircraft, railcar and vessels leasing and equipment financing transactions. He has been involved in most airline insolvencies and bankruptcies (including United, Delta, Northwest, American Airlines and Aloha) and has repossessed and foreclosed on aircraft throughout the world.

Mr. Lipke served as an Adjunct Professor of Corporate Bankruptcy Law at Loyola University School of Law in Chicago (1991–2001) and is a frequent lecturer on reorganization, insolvency and bankruptcy issues to varied groups. He also sits on the Bankruptcy Advisory Board for Strafford Publications.

Mr. Lipke has been ranked by Chambers USA in the llinois ‘Bankruptcy/ Restructuring’ category every year since 2005 and has been ranked Band 2 since 2018. He has also been included annually in Illinois Super Lawyers since 2005. Additionally, he has maintained an “AV Preeminent” Peer Rating in Martindale-Hubbell and has been selected by his peers as a “Leading Lawyer” in Bankruptcy & Workout Law since 2003 and Secured Transactions Law since 2014.

Mr. Lipke was also named the Lawyer of the Year in the ‘Litigation – Bankruptcy’ category by The Best Lawyers in America and U.S. News & World Report in 2022. He has also been selected by his peers for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America list since 2011, for the categories of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation - Bankruptcy.

Mr. Lipke is the co-author of a chapter on issues arising in airline Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the Collier Guide to Chapter 11: Key Topics and Selected Industries, a treatise published by LexisNexis Matthew Bender. Mr. Lipke discusses legal issues in airline reorganizations in a LexisNexis Bankruptcy Law Community podcast, which reviews special protections available to creditors of airline equipment and requirements for Bankruptcy Code Section 1110 protection, and provides practice tips for counsel representing airline creditors and debtors.