Dodgers bankruptcy hearing: Meet your lawyers

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The Dodgers’ initial bankruptcy court hearing begins at 10:30 a.m. PDT. We’ll have full coverage at latimes.com/sports.

The Dodgers and Major League Baseball have assembled formidable legal teams. The MLB roster includes nine lawyers so far, according to records filed with the Delaware bankruptcy court.

The lead lawyers:

For the Dodgers: Bruce Bennett of Los Angeles of the firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. Bennett is most famous for leading Orange County out of what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in United States history. In 1995, the New York Times wrote about the case, and about Bennett, with this headline: ‘Orange County’s Artful Dodger: The Creative Bankruptcy Tactics of Bruce Bennett.’ He has worked on many prominent national bankruptcy cases, including representing creditors in the Enron case.

For MLB: Thomas Lauria of Miami of the firm White & Case. He led the incoming owners of the Texas Rangers through that team’s bankruptcy process last year. His title is global practice head of the financial restructuring and insolvency group at his firm -- overseeing 130 lawyers in 20 countries -- and has worked on cases that totaled more than $100 billion in debt and involving such corporate titans as Chrysler, Washington Mutual, Adelphia Communications and Six Flags.

Lawyers for Jamie McCourt, the ex-wife of Frank McCourt, and for the Major League Baseball Players Assn., also are scheduled to appear in bankruptcy court. Jamie McCourt claims half-ownership of the Dodgers under California community property law; the divorce court has yet to make a final ruling on whether the Dodgers are community property or the sole property of Frank McCourt.

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-- Bill Shaikin