Hon. Harlin DeWayne Hale (Ret.)

Hon. Harlin DeWayne Hale (Ret.) joins JAMS after serving on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas for almost 20 years, including a two-year term as chief judge. He presided over thousands of cases, authored over 160 opinions and was cited favorably by the U.S. Supreme Court in Czyzewski v. Jevic Holding Corp., 137 S.Ct. 973 (2017). Prior to his time on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Judge Hale had a distinguished career in private practice in the areas of bankruptcy, banking, real estate and business/commercial work. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he served as regional partner in charge of the bankruptcy practice at Baker & McKenzie in Dallas, overseeing a range of matters involving complex chapter 11, health care insolvency and the bankruptcy of one of the country’s largest poultry producers.

Judge Hale has received numerous awards and recognitions connected to his legal career, including the prestigious 2021 American Inns of Court Bankruptcy Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes a judge or attorney specializing in bankruptcy law who has exhibited ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession, the rule of law, and personal ethics and integrity. He received the William L. Norton Jr. Judicial Excellence Award from the American Bankruptcy institute in 2019. In 2024, he was honored with the Justinian Award, the highest distinction from the Dallas Bar Foundation, recognizing an attorney who exemplifies professional excellence in the law.  Judge Hale is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, a member of the American Law Institute and a member of the Honorable John C. Ford American Inn of Court. Judge Hale is also a former visiting professor at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, where he taught creditors' rights for 15 years.

Judge Hale developed experience in the following matters both on the bench and in private practice.