Best Lawyers in New York, United States for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Practice Area Overview
While some bankruptcy lawyers represent insolvent individuals, many corporate bankruptcy lawyers represent debtors, creditors, and groups of creditors in bankruptcy cases. When representing debtors, the bankruptcy lawyer’s involvement typically starts long before a company actually commences a bankruptcy case by counseling the debtor concerning strategic options. These options run the spectrum, from gaining the protections afforded by commencing a reorganization case under chapter 11 (to implement an asset sale, a consensual plan of reorganization, or perhaps a contested “cramdown” plan), to negotiating an out-of-court workout. Creditor representations similarly require strategic analysis and skilled advocacy. The challenge facing creditors’ counsel is not merely competing with the debtor and its shareholders, but also competing against other creditor constituencies with differing agendas. After all, the restructuring objectives of a trade creditor, a bond holder, a labor union, a government agency, or a creditor that may be junior or senior in the capital structure likely will vary, potentially to a substantial degree, depending on the circumstances.
In today’s dynamic financial restructuring landscape, bankruptcy lawyers also must tackle a host of ancillary issues. For example, cross-border insolvencies continue to grow in number and intricacy as businesses expand globally into legal jurisdictions around the world. Likewise, the advent and growth of structured financial products and derivatives adds additional layers of complexity to the already complex mix of legal and business issues that bankruptcy lawyers routinely confront. In addition, the bankruptcy process continues to serve as a springboard for M&A opportunities presenting distressed investors with opportunities to acquire assets at attractive valuations in the marketplace.
Bankruptcy law provides ample, important restructuring opportunities to financially troubled businesses and has made bankruptcy an effective business tool, as evidenced by the number of large business enterprises increasingly seeking the protections and benefits that bankruptcy affords.
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John Ashmead heads Seward & Kissel’s Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group. John is a recognized expert in insolvency and distressed situations. His experience spans workouts, chapter 11, liquidations and foreign insolvency proceedings, where he represents trustees, agents, lenders, bondholders and other creditors, borrowers, equity holders, acquirers, members of and formal and informal creditor committees, and directors. In addition to restructurings, his engagements include...
Darren Azman is a member of the firm-wide Management Committee and a partner in the Business Restructuring group. Darren’s practice focuses on corporate restructurings, creditors’ rights and distressed acquisitions. His clients include troubled companies, official creditors’ committees, private equity sponsors, financial and strategic purchasers of distressed assets and others in connection with in-court and out-of-court restructurings. Darren has distinct restructuring expe...
Joshua Brody’s practice focuses primarily on general corporate restructuring and bankruptcy matters. He represents creditors’ committees, debtors, bondholders, distressed investors, indenture trustees, bank groups, lenders and other parties in all aspects of bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructurings, acquisitions and other distressed situations. Mr. Brody advises hedge funds and other financial institutions on the rights and remedies of various debt holders and in understandin...
Marty Bunin is a bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer. He advises creditors and creditors’ committees in chapter 11 cases, including cases filed by healthcare providers, service businesses, owners of real estate, hotels and manufacturers. Marty also represents general contractors, construction managers, lienholders and trust fund claimants in construction company bankruptcies. He is an experienced mediator of bankruptcy-related disputes in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. ...
Gerard Catalanello’s clients rely on him to provide practical counsel while handling their most complex bankruptcy matters. Clients ranging from financial institutions to debtors trust him with Chapter 11 cases with billions of dollars at stake. Gerard is chair of Alston & Bird’s Financial Restructuring & Reorganization Group. He focuses his practice on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights law. He represents lenders, funds, financial institutions, liquidation trusts, equ...
Patrick Collins is a bankruptcy & restructuring lawyer and commercial litigator. Pat represents every type of party involved in bankruptcy cases and litigation brought in the bankruptcy courts. Pat advises creditors, debtors, trustees, committees, lenders, asset purchasers, landlords, shareholders, officers, and directors in bankruptcy proceedings. He has defended hundreds of preference, fraudulent transfer and other types of claw back claims and lawsuits in bankruptcy courts and other co...
Andrew B. Eckstein has over 30 years of experience in handling complex debtor and creditor matters in bankruptcy cases and out-of-court restructurings. He represents debtors, creditors, creditors’ committees, lenders, landlords, contract counterparties, equity-security holders and asset purchasers in matters involving: real estate developers, industrial companies, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, professional service firms, investment funds, media and telecommunications enterpris...
Robert J. Feinstein is the managing partner of the New York office of Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP, the nation’s leading corporate restructuring boutique. He represents debtors, creditors' committees, equity committees, acquirers, and examiners in business reorganizations and related litigation. He also has experience representing debtors, committees, foreign representatives, and other case constituencies in cross-border chapter 11 cases and chapter 15 cases. Recent engagements...
Dan Fliman is a partner in the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Fliman has nearly two decades of experience working on high-profile restructurings and related litigations. He most often represents creditors, committees, debtors, shareholders, sponsors, and fiduciaries looking to mitigate exposure, or maximize recoveries, in contentious contexts. He is experienced handling a wide variety of disputes (from differing sides) in F...
Erez Gilad is a partner in the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Gilad has played a prominent role in many of the largest and most complex chapter 11 restructurings across the country. Leading hedge funds and private equity firms rely on his extensive experience and business acumen to navigate through corporate reorganizations, liability management exercises and distressed investment opportunities. Known for his results-driven...
Kristin, a partner in the Firm’s Business Restructuring practice, represents clients in bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. She concentrates her practice in commercial bankruptcy and insolvency matters, creditors’ rights, out-of-court workouts and restructurings and financial services litigation. Kristin is a co-Managing Partner of the Firm’s New York office and a member of the Firm-wide Management Committee. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/going-kristin-k/
Jayme Goldstein is Co-Chair of the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm's New York office. Mr. Goldstein has significant experience in advising ad hoc groups of hedge funds, private equity funds, banks, large investment managers, and other financial institutions in complex in-court and out-of-court restructurings and distressed M&A transactions across a variety of industry sectors. Focusing on matters that require deep knowledge of corporate finance, cap...
Stuart I. Gordon has handled many complex insolvency cases throughout the United States, including One Times Square, the New York City landmark building known for the New Year’s Eve “ball drop”; the Concord Resort Hotel in the Catskills; and the Bennett Funding Group. Bankruptcy and corporate reorganization are the cornerstone of Stuart’s practice as a partner in Rivkin Radler’s Bankruptcy Practice Group. His clients include financial institutions, insurance comp...
Kris Hansen is Co-Chair of the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Hansen is a dealmaker and a consummate tactician renowned for his strong judgment, financial IQ and expansive market knowledge. Throughout his career, Mr. Hansen has guided clients through proceedings in bankruptcy and appellate courts across the country, as well as through many out-of-court situations. Mr. Hansen helps sophisticated investors in distressed credi...
For more than forty years, Mr. Hazan has specialized in all aspects of bankruptcy throughout the country, including representing creditors' committees in many major chapter 11 cases in a wide variety of industries. These cases include Kmart, Macy's, Northwest Airlines, US Airways (I and II), Caldor Department Stores, BiLo Supermarkets, Ames Department Stores, Venture Stores, Natrol, Quiznos, Sbarro I, Penn Traffic (I and II), Terrestar Networks, Warnaco, Fruit of the Loom, Biderman Industries...
Ronald A. Hewitt is a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Global Banking and Corporate Trust Group. Ron has extensive experience representing clients in connection with corporate restructuring, finance, and capital markets transactions. He also represents participants in an array of derivatives transactions and related regulatory compliance. Ron regularly represents clients in connection with complex distressed and non-distressed financial transactions.
Jordan Kroop represents debtors, official committees, acquirers, and significant creditors in chapter 11 matters involving publicly traded and privately held companies throughout the nation. Mr. Kroop is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and enjoys a national reputation for representing clients in such diverse industries as manufacturing, real estate development, construction, hospitality, food and beverage, gaming, healthcare, and technology. Among the many prominent chapter 11 ...
Brett Lawrence is a partner in the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Lawrence focuses on in-court and out-of-court restructuring and distressed M&A issues for creditors, distressed investors, and equity holders. He represents official and ad hoc committees of creditors and equity holders, and counsels individual investors in structuring and executing investments, raising capital, and acquiring distressed assets. Mr. Lawren...
Jonathan Levine counsels clients in a wide range of corporate matters, with a focus on complex corporate restructurings both in-court and out-of-court. His clients include troubled companies, ad hoc creditor and equity groups, official creditor committees, private equity funds, asset managers, and other parties of interest. Read a full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/jonathan-levine/
Kim M. Longo represents debtors, trustees, creditors and other parties in interest in bankruptcy proceedings of varying sizes. Her bankruptcy experience spans the many stages of reorganization and liquidation, including general estate administration, the assumption and rejection of contracts, the sale of some or all of a debtor's assets, the prosecution of avoidance and other actions, and the determination of claims. Most recently, Ms. Longo has been a supervising attorney in the firm's repre...
The majority of David MacKnight’s practice has been concentrated in insolvency related work for consumer and business debtors in both liquidation and reorganization. He represents creditors, both secured and unsecured, in consumer and business cases. David provides all bankruptcy related services to four credit unions with assets ranging from $50 million to one billion dollars.David has briefed and argued numerous appeals, principally bankruptcy related, in both the District Court and t...
My primary objective is to protect my clients' business and legal interests. My expertise includes strategic mediation and arbitration, which makes my clients happy because it protects their interests while saving them time and money. As a consultant to distressed companies, I help my clients maximize recovery and return to profitability. Advising clients as they emerge from a temporary setback, I outline the legal rights, obligations and options for proceeding and we collaborate on a strateg...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.