Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring

Consistently recognized as an elite group of practioners by Best Lawyers and Chambers USA, Vedder’s deep bench of attorneys in its Bankruptcy &  Financial Restructuring practice group represent secured and unsecured creditors, traditional and nontraditional lenders, bondholders, private credit funds and private equity owners, mortgagors, equipment lessors, landlords, asset buyers, independent fiduciaries, vendors and suppliers at every point on the spectrum of financial distress.

Leveraging significant industry relationships and utilizing a proactive approach for each matter, we become the architects of a bespoke strategy designed to first identify the win and then create a cost-effective blueprint to accomplish the desired results. Our clients count on us to understand the needs of all parties in an insolvency situation and to find creative ways to address them.

Regardless of whether borrowers or debtors are negotiating out-of-court workouts, pursuing offensive litigation or filing for protection under the Bankruptcy Code, our lawyers are well versed in all facets of insolvency-related issues. Drawing on decades of experience across several industries, we help clients preserve credit and business relationships with borrowers, tenants and customers where feasible, but we swiftly and decisively pivot towards forceful litigation when necessary.

Working closely with colleagues in the firm’s other practice groups, we regularly represent local, regional and national clients in sophisticated intercreditor and insolvency matters involving various types of financings across all business lines. For example, we routinely work collaboratively with our colleagues in Vedder’s Global Transportation Finance team to represent creditors in all manner of insolvencies involving airline, maritime and railroad entities. These are global, market-sensitive industries in which bankruptcies often come in waves. Our broad experience, both domestic and cross-border, also serves us well in many other sectors, including manufacturing, medical and over-the-road trucking.

Similarly, the group frequently draws on the experience of transaction attorneys and litigators from multiple disciplines within the firm, including commercial finance, banking, equipment and project finance, litigation, securities, tax, asset securitization and real estate, blending bankruptcy specialists, transactional attorneys and experienced litigators who work together to analyze the situation, propose a path forward and implement the solution. 

Recent successes, recognitions and accomplishments from the Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring group include the following:

• Vedder Secures Complete Appellate Victory on Behalf of Associated Bank, N.A.
• Arlene Gelman Named to Lawdragon's 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy Restructuring & Lawyers
• Vedder Represents GA Telesis in Significant Purchase Agreement with Spirit Airlines
• Vedder Secures Seventh Circuit Appellate Win on $9.5 Million Judgment for Contempt Sanctions
• Vedder Bankruptcy Group Earns 2021 Turnaround Atlas Restructuring of the Year Award for Sale of L’Ermitage Beverly Hills Hotel