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Eric W. Lam

Eric W. Lam Member

Contact Information

(319) 896-4018 (319) 366-1917 elam@spmblaw.com Cedar Rapids, IA
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Kelly Carmichael

Kelly Carmichael

Legal Assistant

(319) 896-4104 kcarmichael@spmblaw.com

Practice Area

Bar Admissions

  • State of Iowa, 1982

Court Admissions

  • US Supreme Court
  • US Court of Appeals
    • Eighth Circuit, Ninth Circuit, Eleventh Circuit
  • US District Court
    • Northern & Southern District of Iowa

Education

  • University of Iowa College of Law, JD, with distinction, 1982
    • Iowa Academy of Trial Lawyers Scholarship Award, 1982
    • Managing Editor, Iowa Law Review, Volume 67, 1981 – 1982
    • Member, Trial Advocacy Board, 1980 – 1981
  • Macalester College, BA, cum laude, 1979
    • Political Science

Clerkship

  • Law Clerk to the Honorable William W. Thinnes, United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Iowa, 1983–1984
  • Law Clerk to the Honorable W. Ward Reynoldson, Chief Justice, Iowa Supreme Court, 1982–1983

Eric Lam represents lenders and trustees in bankruptcy proceedings. He has been a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy since 2001 and was the first Iowa lawyer to be elected to its Board of Directors. Eric is also a Fellow of the Iowa State Bar Foundation. He has published several articles and two books relating to bankruptcy law practice and has been recognized with the Certificate of Merit by the International Association of Insolvency Practitioners for his writing. He was the lecturer for the bankruptcy portion of the then semi-annual Iowa Bar Review School, served as an Adjunct Instructor in Bankruptcy at the University of Iowa College of Law, and served as Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee for both the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa from 1990 through 2004. He frequently presents lectures on a variety of bankruptcy topics at local and regional seminars.

Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights. Mr. Lam advises trustees, creditors, and banking institutions on their rights in bankruptcy proceedings and cases pending throughout the State of Iowa.

Mr. Lam reads, writes, and speaks Chinese (Cantonese).

  • Included in the Best Lawyers in America® list, 2025
    • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation - Bankruptcy
  • Included in the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" list in Cedar Rapids, 2012, 2016, 2018
    • Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Listed in Super Lawyers Top Ten Attorneys for the State of Iowa, 2016-2017, 2023-2024
  • Included in the Great Plains Super Lawyers list, 2007, 2009-2024
    • Bankruptcy: Business
  • AV Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
    • "Eric is an outstanding lawyer who also makes significant contributions to the profession." 
      -- Martindale-Hubbell®

Professional Memberships

  • Iowa Supreme Court Grievance Commission, 2019–Present
  • Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board, Member (2009–2015) and Vice Chair (2014–2015)
  • American College of Bankruptcy
    • Board of Regents, 2022-2024
    • Fellow, 2001–Present
    • Board of Directors, 2015–2018
    • Eighth Circuit Admissions Council, 2003–2007; 2011–2014
  • American College of Bankruptcy Foundation Board of Directors and Secretary, 2016–2022
  • United States District Court, Northern & Southern Districts CLE Committee (1991–2011)
  •  American Bankruptcy Institute
  • American Board of Certification
    • Certified in Business Bankruptcy, 1992–Present
    • Board of Directors, 2001–2003
    • Faculty Committee, 2001–2003
    • Standards Committee, 2001–2003
  • Federal Bar Association
    • Bankruptcy Law Section, National Chair 1993–1994
  • Iowa State Bar Association
    • Commercial & Bankruptcy Law Section (Chair 1995–1996)
    • Board of Governors, 1996–2000
    • Ethics and Standards Committee, 2005–2009
    • Legal Profession Division, 2004
  • Linn County Bar Association
  • Fellow, Iowa State Bar Foundation

Community Involvement

  • Civil Rights Commission, City of Cedar Rapids
    • Member, 2008–2011
    • Vice Chair, 2008–2010
  • Planned Parenthood of East Central Iowa
    • Chair, 2000–2002
  • Cedar Rapids Community School District Foundation
    • Treasurer, 1992–1994
  • Bankruptcy in Iowa (2nd Edition) (© The University of Iowa 2012)
  • Bankruptcy in Iowa (© The University of Iowa 1992); KFI4420.L36
  • The Limit and Inconsistency of Application of the Plain Meaning Rule to Selected Provisions of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994, 20 Hamline L. Rev. 111 (Fall 1996)
  • On the River of Artificial and Arbitrary Impairment: An Erroneous Analysis, 70 North Dakota L. Rev. 993 (December 1994)
  • Municipal Bankruptcy: The Problem with Chapter 9 Eligibility – A Proposal to Amend 11 U.S.C. §109(c)(2), 22 Arizona State Law Journal 625 (March 1991)
  • Bankruptcy Code Section 304(b)(3): “Other Appropriate Relief” for Multinational Bankruptcy, 16 Brooklyn Journal of International Law 479 (Fall 1990)
  • Of Exclusivity and For Cause: 11 U.S.C. §1121(d) Re-examined, 36 Drake L. Rev. 533 (1986-87)
  • Cancellation of Insurance: Bankruptcy Automatic Stay Implications, 59 Am. Bankr. L.J. 267 (1985)
  • Comment, Toward a Valid Defense Contingent Fee Contract: A Comparative Analysis, 67 Iowa L. Rev. 373 (1982)