Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s restructuring group provides a wide range of business advisory and crisis management services to navigate clients through restructurings and insolvency matters. The team consists of over two hundred restructuring attorneys across the firm’s global team, including the London, Munich and Hong Kong offices, which frequently collaborate with the US team to handle cross-border restructuring projects. The New York-based Josh Sussberg and Nicole Greenblatt have experience in all variations of financial and operational restructurings and insolvency proceedings, with the firm acting on behalf of domestic and multinational corporations. New York lawyer Edward Sassower co-heads the practice with Sussberg and focuses on representing debtors, creditors and distressed investors in bankruptcy cases alongside out-of-court restructurings and acquisitions. Anup Sathy is based in Chicago and represents a range of parties in all aspects of distressed and insolvency situations, while New York lawyers Emily Geier and Christine Okike are skilled in a wide array of restructuring and bankruptcy proceedings, with Okike representing a range of clients across numerous industries including automotive, sports and cryptocurrency. Ross Kwasteniet is based in Chicago and is noted for his experience in representing both buyers and sellers of distressed assets, and Ciara Foster, in New York, is a name to watch due to her involvement in a number of high profile Chapter 11 cases.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘They have a group of seasoned people who really specialize in this area. It is a very niche area and everyone knows everyone. It is helpful to have a real player on your side when you have to go through a difficult time.’
‘They excel with the knowledge of the area and knowing all the right people involved. The Team we had were also very "street savvy". You could tell they would not back down or get run over.’
‘Kirkland & Ellis brings the entire team together - including restructuring, white collar and litigation. The restructuring partner is always tied into each workstream. This results in a seamless experience across different and complex issues for the client.’
‘The Kirkland & Ellis team is relentless, thoughtful, energetic and strategic - strong on legal strategy, court presence and execution.’
‘They own the space. Great depth of talent and experience.’
‘Chad Husnick is an exceptionally talented lawyer. Very clear on strategy and potential outcomes. Highly commercial.’
‘Kirkland & Ellis is the leading firm in debtor representations in restructuring transactions. The quality of their work is exceptionally consistent with their position as the market leader. I have worked with literally dozens of Kirkland lawyers over the years and all have demonstrated the ability to manage complex transactions effectively while delivering the highest quality advice for their clients.’
‘All of the attorneys I have worked with at Kirkland, especially at the partner level, are not only highly skilled attorneys, but also capable business advisors who find creative and often novel solutions to difficult restructuring issues. Unlike some other firms in the restructuring space, Kirkland is willing to pursue novel strategies to obtain the best outcome for their clients. Key partners I have worked with who stand out include Joshua Sussberg, Steven Serajeddini, Chad Husnick, John Luze and Emily Geier.’

Key clients

Altera Infrastructure
Avaya Inc.
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.
BlockFi, Inc.
Center for Autism and Related Disorders LLC
Cineworld Group plc
Cyxtera Technologies Inc.
David’s Bridal, Inc.
Envision Healthcare Corporation
Genesis Care Pty Ltd
Pipeline Health System, LLC
QualTek Services Inc.
Rite Aid
SmileDirectClub LLC
Venator Materials
Voyager Digital Holdings LLC
WeWork
WheelsUp
Whittaker Clark & Daniels Inc.
Yellow Corporation

Work highlights

Representing Rite Aid Corporation and 119 of its affiliates in the commencement of their prearranged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.
Advised WeWork , and its 517 affiliates on their Chapter 11 filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for District of New Jersey.
Represented Cineworld Group plc and 104 of its debtor affiliates in its Chapter 11 filing before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Edward Sassower

Hall of fameKirkland & Ellis LLP