Business bankruptcies spiked 60 percent as of for the first six months of 2009, representing 30,333 business filings, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. With that kind of carnage, even companies with strong balance sheets can't feeling the pinch when working with suppliers that may heading down the path toward bankruptcy or that have already sought court protection. "We're seeing this from worldwide industries like the auto manufacturing sector down to smaller, more contained industries," says Rhett Campbell, who leads Thompson & Knight's Corporate Reorganization and Creditors' Rights Practice. "It can be an enormous challenge to maintain business relationships with companies as they're trying to restructure, and that can really impact businesses all along the supply chain." To interview Mr. Campbell about commercial bankruptcy trends, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.