Kevyn Orr facts for kids

Kevyn Duane Orr, born on May 11, 1958, is an American lawyer. He is best known for helping the city of Detroit during a very tough time. From 2013 to 2014, he was Detroit's emergency financial manager. This meant he helped the city deal with its money problems, including its bankruptcy. Today, Mr. Orr works as a partner at the law firm Jones Day. He helps other companies and cities with their financial challenges.

Kevyn Orr's Early Career

Kevyn Orr studied law at the University of Michigan. He earned his law degree in 1983. He started his career working for law firms. He also worked for government agencies that deal with financial problems.

Helping Chrysler

In 2001, Mr. Orr joined a big international law firm called Jones Day. While there, he helped a famous car company, Chrysler, in 2009. Chrysler was facing serious money problems. Mr. Orr was a lead lawyer who helped Chrysler reorganize and become successful again. Many people saw this as a great success.

Detroit's Emergency Manager

In 2013, the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, chose Kevyn Orr to be Detroit's emergency financial manager. This was a very important job. An emergency manager helps a city that is having big money problems. They have special powers to make decisions about the city's finances.

Why Detroit Needed Help

Detroit, a large city in Michigan, was facing huge financial difficulties. It had a lot of debt and could not pay its bills. The state government decided that an emergency manager was needed to help fix the city's money issues. Mr. Orr started his job on March 25, 2013.

Detroit Files for Bankruptcy

After looking at Detroit's finances, Mr. Orr suggested that the city file for bankruptcy. This happened on July 18, 2013. Bankruptcy is a legal process for people or organizations that cannot pay their debts. It allows them to get a fresh start. For a city, it means reorganizing its money and debts.

Mr. Orr's old law firm, Jones Day, was hired to help with Detroit's bankruptcy case. Some people wondered if this was fair, since Mr. Orr used to work there. However, some legal experts said there was no problem. Mr. Orr said that Jones Day was the best firm for the job.

The Bankruptcy Plan

On December 3, 2013, a judge ruled that Detroit could legally go through bankruptcy. This was a big step forward. Mr. Orr worked on a plan to help Detroit get out of debt and become financially stable again.

During this time, some Detroit residents faced issues with their water service. Mr. Orr signed an order to make sure the city's water department could continue to provide important services.

Finally, on November 7, 2014, the judge approved Mr. Orr's plan for Detroit. This plan helped the city manage its money and debts.

Detroit Emerges from Bankruptcy

On December 10, 2014, Governor Snyder announced that Detroit had successfully come out of bankruptcy. This was a huge achievement for the city. Mr. Orr then resigned from his role. Control of Detroit's government and finances went back to its elected leaders.

Personal Life

Kevyn Orr was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His father was a minister, and his mother was a teacher.

Since 2004, he has been married to Dr. Donna Neale. She is a surgeon. They have two children, a son named Kevyn and a daughter named Alexandra.