Kirkland & Ellis International LLP

Leveraging a ‘deep understanding of the requirements of the different types of stakeholders’, Kirkland & Ellis International LLP excels at handling cross-border restructurings involving often very complex capital structures. Much of the work is fund-related, with the firm’s impressive private equity client base driving substantial instructions, both in defending portfolio companies as debtors and investing in restructuring opportunities. On the debtor front, the team excels in deploying various restructuring and insolvency mechanisms, such as schemes of arrangement and UK restructuring plans, while also supporting corporate debtors and ad-hoc creditor groups beyond the private equity sector. The ’very experienced’ Sean Lacey ‘keeps his calm in difficult situations’ and heads the team. Other key members of the team include the ’pragmatic and strategic’ Thomas Jemmett; Hannah Crawford, who ‘very effectively balances stakeholder management with client needs and interests’; and the ’technically skilled’ Kate Stephenson, who excels in handling work involving restructuring plans. Partha Kar is noted for his capacity to act for creditors and insolvency practitioners as part of a wide-ranging restructuring practice.