Our Team
Bankruptcy Attorneys Dedicated to Putting You First
Peña & Soma, APC consists of experienced bankruptcy attorneys dedicated to prioritizing the needs of our clients. Meet our team members.
Attorney Leonard Peña
Mr. Peña founded Peña & Soma, APC focusing his practice on complex business litigation, creditor's rights, and bankruptcy. Mr. Peña has represented a variety of individual and corporate debtors, secured creditors, and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 13 and 11 reorganization cases throughout the western United States. He also has extensive negotiation, mediation, and courtroom experience.
Mr. Peña represented the debtor in the bankruptcy proceedings of numerous failed dot-com businesses, the committees of unsecured creditors with claims over $40,000,000, a San Diego mental health hospital, and a $27,000,000 condominium complex in West Hollywood, California. He also has extensive experience representing bankruptcy trustees in Chapter 7 cases.
The attorney has assisted trustees in prosecuting avoidance actions, such as fraudulent transfers, preferential transfers, asset sales, and related transactions. He has also represented banks, finance companies, real estate lenders, equipment lessors, and individuals in state and federal courts. Mr. Peña represented these parties in various matters, such as:
- Fraudulent Conveyance & Preference Litigation
- Conversion & Fraud Cases
- Lender Liability Matters
- Actions for Breach of Contract
- Real Property Litigation Cases
- Foreclosures
- Receiverships
- Federal Appeals
Background
Mr. Peña holds degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A. 1993) and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D. 1997). He was then admitted to the California Bar in 1997. In addition, he worked as a judicial extern to the Honorable Leslie Tchaikovsky, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of California.
Mr. Peña has extensive experience obtaining prejudgment remedies, such as temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, attachments, and prejudgment writs of possession. He has also successfully pursued remedies for post-judgment collections. Mr. Peña is associated with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Central, Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California Bars, and the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys. He is fluent in English and Spanish.
Attorney Julie A. Soma
Ms. Soma focuses on the areas of complex business litigation, creditor's rights, and bankruptcy. She worked as a bankruptcy litigator with Weinstein, Eisen & Weiss, LLP before joining Pena & Soma, APC, where she prosecuted multiple bankruptcy cases on behalf of bankruptcy trustees.
Ms. Soma did for a bankruptcy trustee to recover over $9,000,000 for victims of a Ponzi scheme. She managed over 200 outstanding cases for her clients at any given time and served as bankruptcy counsel to numerous big mortgage lenders. Ms. Soma also represented mortgage lenders in all stages of bankrptcy cases, including objection to bankruptcy plans, proof of claim litigation and motion for relief litigation.
Background
Ms. Soma graduated with a B.S. in 1992 from the University of California, Riverside, and a J.D. in 1995 from Southwestern University School of Law, where she served as the Note and Comment Editor for the Southwestern Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas (1994-1995). She was admitted to the California Bar in 1995.
Ms. Soma worked as a judicial extern for the Honorable David G. Sills, Presiding Judge of the California Court of Appeals, and the Honorable Samuel L. Bufford, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California (4th District, 3rd Division). She is a member of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Bars of the Central, Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California.