Dechert to Expand with Prominent Restructuring Partner, Adam Plainer

Dechert LLP announces today that Adam Plainer has joined the firm’s London office as global co-chair of its financial restructuring group. Mr. Plainer is one of the UK’s leading restructuring lawyers, with experience advising debtors, creditors, and insolvency professionals in connection with the most complex cross-border workouts, restructurings, formal insolvencies and distressed M&A. He regularly acts for some of the leading global credit and private equity funds.

Some of Mr. Plainer’s most high-profile mandates include advising global financial services firm Lehman Brothers; advising KPMG as joint administrators in the special administration of global financial derivatives broker MF Global UK; acting for the provisional liquidators of The Abraaj Group, the Middle East's biggest private equity fund; and acting on the restructuring of UK retailer BHS.

Mr. Plainer is independently recognized as a market leader by International Financial Law Review, and he is a past president of the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association (ILA) and the Turnaround Management Association UK.

Mr. Plainer’s appointment is a key hire in the strategic growth of Dechert’s global restructuring practice, and follows the 2020 hires of London-based financial restructuring partners Solomon Noh, whose practice focuses on advising sophisticated investment managers in financial restructurings, financings, and M&A; and Alastair Goldrein, who advises creditors, debtors and sponsors in complex international restructurings and insolvencies.

Dechert chair, Andy Levander, said, “Restructuring is a core and expanding practice for us globally. We have been building our team to meet growing client demand and Adam’s appointment will significantly enhance our capability to support our clients in their most challenging restructuring work.”

Allan Brilliant, co-chair of Dechert’s global financial restructuring practice, said, “We are very pleased to welcome Adam to the team. He is a strong strategic fit for us, and his arrival will be transformative for our presence in the European market.”

Dechert’s financial restructuring practice is recognised globally for handling high-profile cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters, for innovative deal structuring, and for achieving court victories in London, the U.S. and other international jurisdictions.

Recent highlight matters include advising the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Chile-based LATAM Airlines in its Chapter 11 proceedings, securing a major victory when the bankruptcy court refused to approve an insider financing deal which would have resulted in millions of dollars in value going to shareholders rather than creditors; and also advising bondholders in connection with the Irish Bank Resolution Corp.’s US$2 billion Chapter 15 proceedings. Dechert successfully advised the funds managed by Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited, as creditor, in connection with the high profile challenge to the restructuring of US$500 million of notes (Eurobonds) issued by the International Bank of Azerbaijan. The firm currently is advising an ad hoc group of holders of bonds issued by YPF in connection with YPF’s recently launched exchange offer and consent solicitation.

Dechert is recognized by Global Restructuring Review, Chambers and The Legal 500 as having one of the leading restructuring groups in the world, and specific mandates have recently earned awards from The American Lawyer, IFLR Americas Awards and M&A Advisor.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 26 offices around the world. We advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.