Top Insolvency & Restructuring Trio Joins Pillsbury

Deryck Palmer was a recent delegate to the UNCITRAL Working Group V (Insolvency Law) on behalf of the International Law Institute. He was also selected as one of the lead counsels to the U.S. Treasury Department in the General Motors restructuring and represented the Detroit Public Schools, the sixth-largest school district in the country, in one of the most successful municipal restructurings, out of court. He and his team concentrate their practice on the representation of all parties involved in proceedings under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, as well as in workout, corporate restructuring and bankruptcy matters. They have handled some of the largest and most significant matters in the country during the past three decades, including LyondellBasell Industries in its reorganization case; Millennium Custodial Trust; Apollo Health Street; and Citibank in the Lehman Brothers Holdings chapter 11 case. Other recent clients include Omnicare, JPMorgan Chase and numerous private equity firms and hedge funds with investments in distressed credits.

The team represents both creditors and debtors, including representation of lenders extending credit to troubled borrowers and entities investing in or acquiring troubled companies or assets from distressed owners, in various industry sectors including automotive, retail, real estate, energy, health care, hospitality and manufacturing. They enhance Pillsbury's capabilities in these key industry sectors and bring significant additional experience representing municipal and health care entities in debt restructurings and working with traditional and non-traditional lenders in creating new lending products for municipalities.

"Insolvency & Restructuring is a key area of strategic growth for Pillsbury. The addition of these tremendously accomplished lawyers broadens, deepens and transforms our reach and enhances our ability to deliver the highest quality service to our clients," said Pillsbury partner Jim Rishwain. "Deryck's team is a perfect addition to our insolvency group's established practice. They bring extensive experience in the financial services sector, a key industry for Pillsbury and our clients. Our Finance, M&A, Litigation, Tax and Real Estate practices, among others, will benefit with the addition of this elite team and contribute to the creation of a world-class bankruptcy practice."

“Pillsbury’s insolvency group and the firm’s industry strengths form a very dynamic platform for our combined team,” Palmer noted. “Together, we are excited about our practice’s remarkable opportunities and focus on client service as challenges in this field become more complex across different types of organizations.”

Recognized as one of the "Leading Law Firm Rainmakers" by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Palmer is active in the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Turnaround Management Association. For more than 10 years, he served as a foreign advisor on U.S. bankruptcy law to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and was instrumental in the drafting of the new PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law. An Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School, Palmer received his B.A. from Syracuse University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan.

Andrew Troop and Christopher Mirick have also received accolades for their work. Most recently, Legal 500 recognized Troop for being "extremely capable, effective and creative," and IFLR1000 reported that clients praise Mirick for demonstrating "tremendous leadership skills" and having "very innovative solutions." Troop and Mirick focus their practices on business reorganizations and debtors' and creditors' rights. Troop's practice includes representing nonprofit organizations within his primary focus of debtors' and creditors' rights. He received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from Amherst College. Mirick has represented private equity clients in connection with acquiring, selling and reorganizing both domestic and international portfolio companies. He has also counseled mezzanine lenders and private equity investors in defending fraudulent-transfer and breach-of-duty claims asserted in connection with companies to which they have extended credit or invested equity. A graduate of Amherst College, he holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Pillsbury's Insolvency & Restructuring practice is a well-integrated team of lawyers practicing in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC, San Diego and Orange County (together with colleagues in London, Tokyo and Shanghai). Practice members represent a broad spectrum of clients dealing with complex, sophisticated and distressed financial situations, including the representation of distressed entities as well as clients that lend to distressed entities. Recent bankruptcy representation includes the equity committees in Solutia and Tronox, the debtor in Congoleum, and clients with significant positions in the Washington Mutual, Delta Airlines, Heller Ehrman and Coudert Brothers cases.

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury is a full-service law firm with a keen industry focus on energy and natural resources, financial services, real estate & construction, and technology. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global regulatory, litigation and corporate matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues—helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.