Awards and Recognitions

In 2020, Bob was named one of the American Bankruptcy Institutes’ “40 Under 40” winners. Additionally, Bob is recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500 and he was named in Lawdragon’s “500 Leading US Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers.” Bob has received several awards for his work, including the “Corporate Turnaround (Large)” award for The Turnaround Atlas Awards 2022 for his work on Gulfport Energy’s chapter 11 cases. International Financial Law Review (IFLR)’s awarded Bob their 2021 “Restructuring Deal of the Year” for his representation of The Chatterjee Group in the restructuring of McDermott International and its 2020 “Deal of the Year: Restructuring and Insolvency” for his work advising the restructuring subcommittee for the board of directors of Sears. Turnaround Management Association (TMA) honored Bob with its 2020 “Transaction of the Year: Large Company” award for his work in the chapter 11 case of Trident USA. Bob’s work advising an ad hoc committee of senior secured noteholders in the successful chapter 11 reorganization of Gibson Brands was recognized as TMA’s 2019 “Mid-Size Company Transaction of the Year” and Private Debt Investor’s 2018 “Distressed Deal of the Year.”

Bob is a frequent contributor to a number of industry publications, including the Harvard Business Law Review, Bloomberg Law Reports-Bankruptcy Law, New York Law Journal and The Bankruptcy Strategist. Most recently, Bob co-authored, alongside fellow Paul, Weiss partners Jake Adlerstein and John Weber, an article for Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law called “Third Circuit Definitively Rejects Triangular Setoff.” Bob has also recently co-authored an article with fellow Paul, Weiss attorney Karen Zeituni for the American Bankruptcy Institute’s ABI Journal titled “Problems in the Code: The Sale of Mortgage Loans Free and Clear in a Chapter 11 Plan.” 

Company Experience

Bob’s company experience has included:

• Proterra, a publicly traded developer and producer of commercial electric vehicle technology, including proprietary battery systems, electric transit buses, and turnkey charging solutions, in its chapter 11 cases in the District of Delaware
• Revlon, a leading global beauty company, and certain of its subsidiaries in their chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York
• Glass Mountain, the owner of a 450-mile pipeline providing crude oil transportation and storage services, in a comprehensive restructuring with its equity sponsor and secured lenders that resulted in a reduction of over $230 million in debt
• Diamond Offshore Drilling, a leading provider of offshore drilling services, and 14 of its U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, in their chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of Texas, which provided for the equitization of approximately $2.1 billion in senior unsecured note obligations and the provision of over $625 million of new capital
• Templar Energy, an independent upstream oil and gas company, in its prepackaged chapter 11 cases in the District of Delaware, pursuant to which the company sold substantially all of its assets under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code
• The Restructuring Sub-Committee of the Board of Directors of Sears, a leading retailer in the appliance, tool, lawn and garden, fitness equipment, automotive repair and maintenance retail sectors, in the company’s chapter 11 cases, including the investigation of potential claims and causes of action in related party transactions and the court-approved $5.2 billion sale of assets
• Toys “R” Us, the world’s leading toy and baby products retailer, on all aspects of its global restructuring
• rue21, a fashion and specialty retailer with approximately 1,200 stores across the 48 continental states that sells young adult casual apparel and accessories, and certain of its affiliates, in their chapter 11 restructuring of over $800 million in funded debt
• Avaya, an enterprise communications systems company, and certain of its affiliates in their chapter 11 cases
• Coldwater Creek, a specialty direct retailer of women's apparel, jewelry and accessories, in its chapter 11 cases
• Lupatech S.A., a Brazil-based company primarily engaged in the production of equipment for the oil and gas sector, in its chapter 15 bankruptcy proceeding and notes exchange
• Centrais Eletricas do Para, S.A., a Brazil-based power energy supplier, in its chapter 15 bankruptcy proceeding
• Media General, a media company, in its sale of newspaper assets to and financing agreements with Berkshire Hathaway
• Provo Craft & Novelty, a manufacturer and distributor of craft, hobby and educational products, in its out-of-court recapitalization
• Cinram International ULC, a manufacturer and distributor of DVDs, CDs and Blu-ray discs, in its chapter 15 bankruptcy proceeding and sale of substantially all assets; and
• American Axle & Manufacturing, a manufacturer of automobile driveline and drivetrain components and systems, in its out-of-court restructuring

Creditor-Side Experience

Bob’s creditor experience has included:

• An ad hoc group of 2020 EMEA term loan lenders to GTT Communications, a multinational telecommunications and internet service provider company, in connection with the prepackaged chapter 11 cases filed by the company and its affiliates
• An ad hoc committee of unsecured noteholders in the prearranged chapter 11 cases of Gulfport Energy, an independent, natural gas-weighted exploration and production company and one of the largest producers of natural gas in the contiguous United States. Gulfport’s chapter 11 plan facilitated a comprehensive operational restructuring and discharged more than $1.2 billion of debt, resulting in the ad hoc committee receiving substantially all of the equity of the reorganized company
• Affiliates of Prudential Capital Partners and Onex Falcon as petitioning creditors in the involuntary chapter 11 cases and subsequent consensual out-of-court restructuring of American Achievement Corporation, a leading publisher of yearbooks, manufacturer and direct marketer of scholastic and graduation products, and provider of graduation commencement services
• An ad hoc group of noteholders in the out-of-court restructuring and sale of OmniMax International, a leading manufacturer of building and transportation products
• An ad hoc group of holders of securities issued by Exide Technologies, a manufacturer of automotive and industrial batteries, in a credit bid asset sale of the company’s international operations in more than 80 countries as part of the company’s chapter 11 liquidation. The chapter 11 plan de-levered over $700 million of secured debt through the sale of the company’s U.S. and international businesses and resolved complex and contentious disputes with the company’s unsecured creditors, the DOJ, EPA and numerous state and local environmental agencies through a global settlement
• An ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders in the chapter 11 cases of Dean Foods, the largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fresh fluid milk and other dairy products in the U.S., involving approximately $1.1 billion in secured and unsecured debt
• Apollo Global Management in restructuring its investment in Jupiter Resources, a Canadian natural gas exploration and production company, pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act
• Certain funds managed by Neuberger Berman in the out-of-court restructuring of Drive Medical, a provider of durable medical equipment
• An ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders in the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of independent energy company Battalion Oil (f/k/a Halcón Resources Corporation), including in connection with providing debtor-in-possession financing
• Silver Point Capital, as postpetition and senior prepetition lender, in the restructuring of TridentUSA and its affiliates, the leading national provider of bedside diagnostic and related health care services, including its chapter 11 cases
• An ad hoc group of crossover lenders to Catalina Marketing, a leading provider of personalized digital media solutions, in the company’s prepackaged chapter 11 cases
• An ad hoc committee of senior secured noteholders of Gibson Brands, an iconic American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments and professional audio equipment, in the company’s prenegotiated chapter 11 case, including the negotiation of a prepetition restructuring support agreement and the provision of $135 million of debtor-in-possession financing
• An ad hoc committee of senior secured noteholders of Tops Holding and Tops Markets II Corporation, a leading upstate New York-based supermarket chain with approximately 170 locations, in Tops’ chapter 11 cases
• The ad hoc group of first lien lenders of Hercules Offshore, a global provider of offshore contract drilling and liftboat services to the oil and gas industry, in the company’s chapter 11 cases
• The ad hoc group of first lien noteholders of Roust Corporation, an East European vodka distillery, in the company’s chapter 11 cases
• Portfolio companies of Sycamore Partners as term loan lenders and a major supplier in the chapter 11 cases of Aeropostale, a specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories
• A Chinese State Owned Enterprise in the Baha Mar chapter 11 cases
• Citicorp North America, as agent, in the chapter 11 cases of Capmark Financial Group
• Citicorp North America, as agent, and secured lender steering committee in the refinancing of first lien debt of Physiotherapy Associates
• J.P. Morgan and affiliates, as equity owners of aircraft, in the chapter 11 cases of American Airlines
• CIT Healthcare, as agent, and secured lender steering committee in the chapter 11 cases of Church Street Health Management

BANKRUPTCY-RELATED M&A EXPERIENCE

Bob's distressed investor experience has included: 

• The Chatterjee Group, a strategic investment holding company, and Rhône Capital in their successful $2.725 billion purchase of Lummus Technology, a company engaged in technologies in the hydrocarbon industry and a division of McDermott International, pursuant to a court-approved chapter 11 plan sale in McDermott’s chapter 11 cases
• Mortgage Assets Management and its affiliate in the acquisition of Ditech’s reverse mortgage business, Reverse Mortgage Solutions, pursuant to a sale under a plan of reorganization
• The Children’s Place, a retailer of children's clothes and accessories, in its acquisition of trademarks and other assets of Gymboree pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code
• BayWa A.G. in the acquisition of substantially all assets of Martifer Solar USA pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code
• Intellectual Ventures in the acquisition and licensing of Eastman Kodak Company’s digital imaging patent portfolio pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code