Rahman Connelly

Rahman’s work has been recognized by numerous national and international publications and organizations. In 2024, the American Bankruptcy Institute honored Rahman as one of their “40 Under 40,” a list recognizing emerging leaders in the bankruptcy and restructuring practice. He is also recognized as “one to watch” by Best Lawyers in America and as a “rising star” by Super Lawyers. He is a member of the International Insolvency Institute’s NextGen Leadership Program, which “is intended to recognize the most prominent younger ‘Rising Stars’ in the international insolvency area.”

• Bankruptcy and Out-of-Court Restructuring Representations
  • Counsel to Nikola Corporation and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 cases. Nikola was a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions. In re Nikola Corporation, et al. (Bankr. D. Del.).
  • Counsel to the joint official liquidators of three affiliated Cayman Island investment funds in the first chapter 15 case to grant recognition to a foreign proceeding involving a Cayman exempted limited partnership. In re ECM Straits Fund I, LP (in Official Liquidation), et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Counsel to Mitsubishi in the chapter 11 cases of Enviva Inc. and its debtor affiliates. In re Enviva Inc., et al. (Bankr. E.D. Va.).
  • Counsel to the joint official liquidators of two affiliated Cayman Island investment funds in a series of cross-border asset recovery proceedings arising from a greater than $120 million Ponzi-like scheme. In re IIG Global Trade Finance Fund Ltd. (in Official Liquidation), et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Represents, as U.S. counsel, the business recovery professionals of Comair Limited, a South African airline, in its chapter 15 case and South African business rescue proceedings. In re Comair Limited (In Business Rescue) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Counsel to an ad hoc group of unsecured bondholders in an out-of-court restructuring of a large real estate investment trust with more than $3.7 billion of debt and other obligations. Washington Prime Group Inc.
  • Represented an ad hoc group of senior secured noteholders and the indenture trustee in the chapter 11 cases of EP Energy, et al., an oil and gas exploration company with assets in Texas and Utah and more than $4.5 billion of debt and other obligations. In re EP Energy, et al. (Bankr. S.D. Tex.).
  • Represented an ad hoc group of noteholders in an out-of-court restructuring of more than $150 million in municipal bond debt. Puerto Rico Ports Authority.
  • Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Avaya Inc. and its affiliated debtors, which collectively held more than $6 billion in prepetition secured debt. In re Avaya Inc., et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Peabody Energy Inc., the world’s largest privately owned coal producer, and 153 of its subsidiaries, which collectively held $10.1 billion in prepetition debt. In re Peabody Energy Inc., et al. (Bankr. E.D. Mo.).
  • Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Armstrong Energy Inc. and its affiliated debtors, which were leading producers of thermal coal from the Illinois Basin in Western Kentucky. In re Armstrong Energy Inc., et al. (Bankr. E.D. Mo.).
  • Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Tops Holding II Corporation and its affiliated debtors, which held more than $750 million of prepetition debt. In re Tops Holding II Corporation, et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Special counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of SunEdison, the world’s largest renewable energy developer. In re SunEdison Inc., et al. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of UCI International LLC, one of North America's largest manufacturers of automotive replacement parts, and its affiliated debtors. In re UCI International LLC, et al. (Bankr. D. Del.).
  • Represented Ciber Inc. and its affiliated debtors, industry leaders in information technology, consulting and outsourcing services, in their chapter 11 cases. In re Ciber Inc., et al. (Bankr. D. Del.).
  • Represented Maxus Energy Corporation and four affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 cases. In re Maxus Energy Corporation, et al. (Bankr. D. Del.).
  • Represented Sungevity Inc. and its affiliates, among the largest private residential solar installation companies in the United States, in their chapter 11 cases. In re Sungevity Inc., et al. (Bankr. D. Del.).
  • Represented Sentynl Therapeutics Inc. in its $46 million acquisition of Eiger Biopharmaceuticals’ Zokinvy (lonafarnib) program through a chapter 11 sale process where Sentynl served as the “stalking horse bidder” and ultimately prevailed in a competitive auction process. In re Eiger Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (Bankr. N.D. Tex.).
  • Representing joint liquidators of offshore feeder fund, Three Arrows Fund Ltd. in recovery of investments into offshore master fund, Three Arrows Capital Ltd. that invested substantially all of its assets in cryptocurrency, NFTs and other alternative assets. In re Three Arrows Fund Ltd. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
  • Joint Liquidators of GTLK Europe DAC (in liquidation) and GTLK Europe Capital DAC (in liquidation) (Bank. D. Ariz.): Representing joint liquidators of two Irish entities that were formerly owned and controlled by the Russian Ministry of Transport, in their chapter 15 cases.
• Bankruptcy Litigation Representations
  • Successfully defended Larry Ellison, his revocable trust, and Lawrence Investments LLC in high-stakes litigation arising from the bankruptcy of Hawaii Island Air Inc., a regional airline.
  • Representing a private credit fund in a proceeding to enforce a maturity default on a first-lien credit agreement. Arena Vantage SPV LLC v. Actionable Process LLC, et al. (N.Y. Sup. Ct.).
  • Defending two Swiss banks against claw back claims brought by the Madoff trustee seeking to recover tens of millions of dollars in alleged fraudulent transfers.
  • Represented the LB Creditor Trust and the LB Litigation Trust in prosecuting multibillion-dollar breach of fiduciary duty and avoidance claims stemming from the 2009 bankruptcy of LyondellBasell Industries.
  • Represented the liquidation trustee of Green Field Energy Services in litigation asserting fraudulent transfer and breach of fiduciary duty claims against the company’s former directors and officers.
  • Represented the board of directors of Dune Energy Inc. in connection with threatened breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent transfer claims.

• International Insolvency Institute: Next Generation Leadership Fellow
• National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges: Next Generation Leadership Fellow
• Turnaround Management Association: Next Generation Committee Member
• American Bankruptcy Institute: International Committee Member
• Speaking Engagements
  • “Fraudulent Trading Claims,” American Bankruptcy Institute International Caribbean Symposium (January 2026)
  • “Where Jurisdiction Reigns Supreme: Planning a Cross-Border Proceeding Post-Purdue,” American Bankruptcy Institute International Caribbean Symposium (January 2025)
  • “The U.S. Approach to Efficient Business Reorganizations,” EDB Bahrain First Quarterly Business Law Forum (January 2023).
  • “An Update on the Crypto World,” Pillsbury CLE Marathon (January 2023).