L. Everett & Associates, an environmental consulting firm based in Santa Barbara, is one of 500 creditors in the Girardi Keese bankruptcy. The firm, which has a $200,000 claim, worked for 20 years with Girardi Keese, often on cases referred by Erin Brockovich. “There was a time when the checks stopped coming, and we became quite nervous,” said CEO Lorne Everett.