The Wilmington, Delaware office of Polsinelli Shughart has recently doubled in size to accommodate the growth in bankruptcy and financial restructuring practice and to counsel clients in matters involving business and commercial litigation. Strategic plans are to further expand into corporate representations, intellectual property and other business transactions will provide an even broader spectrum of services to clients in Delaware and nationally.
With a national practice in the financial services industry, the firm’s Delaware location and its experienced bankruptcy and financial restructuring practice are key components.
Wilmington Managing Shareholder and Bankruptcy Vice Chair Chris Ward launched the opening of the Delaware office in 2008. Ward is a seasoned bankruptcy attorney in all aspects of bankruptcy and financial restructuring and was recently ranked in Chambers USA for excellence in Delaware Bankruptcy/Financial Restructuring. Along with his team, Chris focuses on serving as primary counsel to firm clients with matters pending in Delaware, as well as serving as Delaware local counsel to other referring law firms and serving as conflicts counsel, special counsel, avoidance action/contingency fee counsel and claims administration counsel. Chris is also actively involved in ABI Committee Leadership.
The practice has a strong reputation and history of success in business loan workouts, Chapter 11 business reorganization, and bankruptcy litigation. Our attorneys have represented clients nationally and regionally in variety of industries. In addition, the Delaware office practices before the Delaware District Court, Chancery Court and Superior Court.
The Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Law group has represented the following types of parties in bankruptcies and workouts:
- Chapter 11 debtors and debtors in possession
- Official committees of unsecured creditors
- Secured and unsecured lenders
- Debtor in possession (“DIP”) lenders
- Second lien and mezzanine lenders
- Asset purchasers
- Indenture trustees, debenture and bondholders
- Shareholders and equity committees
- Employee committees and WARN Act claimants
- Landlords
- Private equity firms and hedge funds
- Health care and insurance company insolvenices
Additionally, in today’s complex legal environment, clients benefit from the firm’s reputation for business and commercial litigation capabilities and resources that stretch from coast to coast. Attorneys handle complex civil, commercial and fiduciary litigation, primarily in the Delaware Court of Chancery, and represent institutional and individual trustees and beneficiaries in trust litigation.
Our attorneys in Delaware are actively involved in the various levels of local and state Bar memberships and are admitted to several East Coast state bars, District and Appellate Courts, State Supreme and the United States Supreme Court. Attorneys are admitted in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. In addition, they hold memberships and actively participate in the American Bankruptcy Institute, Turnaround Management Association, Delaware Trial Lawyers Association, Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, and the International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation. Polsinelli Shughart is also a sponsor of the Helen S. Balick Corporate Bankruptcy Chair at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington.