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Michael D. Rubenstein: A Houston Bankruptcy Litigator Who Clerked for a Federal Judge Before Making Partner at Liskow & Lewis

Michael Rubenstein spent two years as a law clerk to a federal district judge in Louisiana before ever representing a bankruptcy client — a foundation that now underpins his role as deputy general counsel and a member of the board of directors at Liskow & Lewis, a firm with offices across Texas and Louisiana.

Origin and Background

Michael D. Rubenstein practices at Liskow & Lewis, APLC, in Houston, TX, confirmed through the firm’s own site, the American Board of Certification, and Best Lawyers. He earned his B.S. from Tulane University in 1990 and his J.D. from Tulane University Law School in 1993, and was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 1994 and the Texas bar in 2004. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edith Brown Clement of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1993 to 1995, putting his active bankruptcy career at more than three decades.

Practice Concentration

Rubenstein’s practice concentrates on business bankruptcy, restructuring, and reorganization work, alongside complex business litigation and government enforcement proceedings; he has managed large electronic-discovery projects in both criminal and civil matters and routinely handles the defense of preference litigation in some of the largest bankruptcy cases in the U.S. He is certified in Business Bankruptcy Law by the American Board of Certification. See this Houston Bankruptcy & Debt directory for how this business-bankruptcy-certified litigator compares to consumer-focused firms also serving Harris County.

Notable Work / Track Record

Rubenstein has served as managing partner of Liskow & Lewis’s Houston office and currently serves as the firm’s deputy general counsel and a member of its board of directors, alongside his active bankruptcy caseload for major financial institutions across Texas and Louisiana. Awesome Attorneys did not identify an itemized public table of case-specific dollar figures for Rubenstein and discloses this as a data gap rather than a negative signal, consistent with a business bankruptcy practice serving institutional clients.

Client Voice

A client comment featured in Rubenstein’s Best Lawyers profile describes his work on complex bankruptcy matters as consistently strong: “Liskow & Lewis attorney, Michael Rubenstein, has done great work for us on complex bankruptcy matters.” Awesome Attorneys did not identify a substantial volume of independent consumer-style reviews, consistent with an institutional business bankruptcy practice.

Beyond the Courtroom

Rubenstein was appointed to the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization’s Bankruptcy Law Advisory Commission in July 2026. He has also served on Liskow & Lewis’s compensation, technology, library, medical, and office administration committees.

Recognition for This Houston Bankruptcy Attorney

Rubenstein’s Business Bankruptcy certification from the American Board of Certification, independently verified through the ABC’s own directory, is the credential Awesome Attorneys relies on to apply “specialist” language to his practice, consistent with house policy reserving that language for genuine board certification. He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for 2026 in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, and has been named to Texas Super Lawyers in multiple years including 2023 and 2024 — credentials distinct from paid marketing placements.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Preference litigation — a recurring feature of Rubenstein’s caseload — allows a bankruptcy trustee to claw back certain payments a debtor made to creditors in the 90 days before filing (or one year, for insiders), a federal rule under Bankruptcy Code Section 547 designed to prevent favoritism among creditors on the eve of a filing. Business reorganizations Rubenstein handles in Texas most commonly proceed under Chapter 11 in the Southern or Western District of Texas. None of this is legal advice; a specific preference, restructuring, or reorganization matter should be evaluated by a licensed Texas attorney based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Michael Rubenstein’s clearest differentiator is a rare combination of credentials for this category: American Board of Certification in Business Bankruptcy Law, a current Best Lawyers 2026 recognition, and a governance role — deputy general counsel and board member — inside a multi-state firm, on top of preference-litigation experience in some of the largest bankruptcy cases in the country. The honest trade-off is that this is an institutional, business-bankruptcy-oriented practice serving major financial institutions, not a consumer-facing Chapter 7/13 filing service, and Awesome Attorneys did not identify a public results table or a substantial consumer-review record to assess. For a Harris County business or financial institution facing complex Chapter 11 restructuring or preference litigation, Rubenstein’s board certification and Best Lawyers recognition make him a strong basis for a shortlist.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Michael D. Rubenstein’s attorney biography at Liskow & Lewis, his American Board of Certification listing, his Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers profiles, and the firm’s published news releases regarding his professional appointments.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Liskow & Lewis, APLC, or Michael D. Rubenstein prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.