Tier 1 National Ranking in Bankruptcy for 11 consecutive years
Benchmark Litigation, 2011–2021
MASS TORT
Sidley’s Restructuring group has extensive experience in advising clients facing mass tort exposure, including piloting companies through chapter 11 proceedings featuring channeling injunctions and liability trusts and advising clients on the development and maintenance of multi-affiliate corporate and limited liability structures, to minimize and contain exposure to such liabilities. Working closely with our colleagues in Sidley’s other top-tier practices, we help our clients manage risk, restructure, and rehabilitate despite potential existential pitfalls.
HEALTHCARE AND LIFE SCIENCES
Sidley’s Restructuring group understands the unique issues and concerns posed in the restructuring of healthcare and life science companies. The group works closely with Sidley’s award-winning Healthcare and Global Life Science practices to understand the sensitivities that impact these companies, which require creative solutions that involve all stakeholders, including the various regulators that oversee industry participants. The members of the group have represented nearly every category of healthcare and life science businesses, including hospital systems, skilled nursing facilities, Continuing Care Retirement Centers (CCRC), long-term acute care centers, physician management companies, behavioral health providers, drug manufacturers, diagnostic testing labs, and medical device manufacturers.
TRANSPORTATION
Sidley’s Restructuring group is led by experienced lawyers ideally suited to advise companies, creditors, and financing parties on domestic and international transportation-related matters. Sidley’s Restructuring group has one of the premier multi-jurisdictional aviation restructuring practices and has had significant involvement in virtually every noteworthy aviation restructuring in the past 20 years. From the ramp to the boardroom, members of our group have represented air carriers, operators, equipment manufacturers, lessors, secured lenders (including debtor-in-possession (DIP) Lenders), official committees, bondholders, investors, and equity sponsors in all facets of aviation restructurings — both in the fixed and rotor wing space. Sidley has significant experience advising creditors, acquirors, and companies in restructurings in the automotive industry.
We partner with participants throughout the automotive sector, including OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, innovative technology startups, and investors, as they face transformational challenges. Collaborating across practice areas, our lawyers routinely work on all manner of mission-critical automotive transactions for our automotive industry clients.
REAL ESTATE
Sidley’s Restructuring group has the knowledge and deep real estate industry experience to help clients navigate the myriad options facing real estate owners and investors when seeking debt relief, including restructuring, reorganization, or liquidation proceedings. We have extensive experience developing and executing turnaround strategies related to distressed real estate assets, including working with owners, operators, and other market participants on structuring distressed real estate investments as well as dealing with enforcement actions and providing innovative remedies on underperforming properties, whether through transactions, restructurings, remedies, deeds in lieu, foreclosures, or insolvency and reorganization proceedings around the globe.
The members of the group work seamlessly with Sidley’s top-rated Real Estate practice on complex restructuring matters, ranging across nearly every type of property and loan, including mortgage loans (including securitized loans) on domestic and off-shore income producing real estate, subordinated debt, syndicated credit facilities, loan participations, and mezzanine loans. Our clients include corporate and individual real estate investors, developers, owners, and operators, as well as REITs, publicly and privately traded homebuilders, opportunity and private equity funds, hospitality and gaming companies, and homebuilders.
ENERGY
Sidley’s Restructuring group is a market leader at effectuating solutions to the challenges confronted by energy companies in in and out-of-court restructurings, from liability and crisis management to turnkey deleveraging transactions. In collaboration with Sidley’s 200+ transactional, regulatory, and litigation lawyers dedicated to the energy sector (as well as our in-house land and title support), the lawyers in Sidley’s Restructuring group are strongly supported to drive the most beneficial outcomes for clients facing the specific issues present in the energy industry. The members of the group have represented the full spectrum of energy and natural resources industry participants around the globe, including critical oil and gas producers, midstream providers, refiners, power providers, holders and agents throughout the capital structure, sponsors, and acquirers, with more than 100 engagements relating to energy capitalization workouts or chapter 11 proceedings. This breadth of experience allows us to navigate and negotiate creative solutions for our clients. We often achieve efficient out-of-court solutions, and when a court proceeding is advantageous, our creative strategies and ability to achieve a broad consensus typically serve as precursors to our clients’ success.
MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT
Sidley’s Restructuring group is at the forefront of media and entertainment restructurings, insolvencies, and bankruptcies. The lawyers in the group work seamlessly with colleagues in media and entertainment, M&A, and finance to bring their deep and extensive knowledge to litigation and transactional matters. Applying their insights and understanding of the media and entertainment space as well as the competing interests of the many constituencies involved, our multidisciplinary teams are able to work collaboratively with all stakeholders on both a strategic and tactical level toward achieving optimum results for our clients.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Sidley’s Restructuring group is routinely involved in some of the most complex restructuring and insolvency issues involving various regulated and unregulated financial institutions and financial instruments. Members of the group represent these institutions as they navigate their own financial challenges, as well as those that they may be facing with counterparties. These issues are often cutting edge and demand a technical knowledge base not only of the bankruptcy code but also the various other regulatory and legal regimes that govern the particular financial institution.