Brian M. Resnick
Nationally recognized adviser on restructuring and bankruptcy. Head of Liability Management & Special Opportunities practice. American Lawyer “Dealmaker of the Year.”
Brian is a partner in our Restructuring group and head of our interdisciplinary Liability Management & Special Opportunities practice, leading some of the firm’s most significant matters for distressed companies, creditors and other strategic parties.
He has been recognized as an American Lawyer “Dealmaker of the Year,” a Law360 “Bankruptcy MVP,” a Turnarounds & Workouts “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer,” a TMA “Industry Titan” and Dream Big Award recipient from nonprofit Futures & Options.
Brian co-authored the book Credit-Bidding in Bankruptcy Sales, is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, and is on the boards of Her Justice and the Columbia Business Law Review.
A Julliard-trained former professional musician and active supporter of the arts, Brian won a 2019 Tony Award as co-producer of Hadestown (chronicled by Bloomberg Law and The Deal). In 2021, nonprofit WhyHunger honored him for his work on the fundraising video Drum Together, which was featured in Rolling Stone.
Experience
- Company-side chapter 11 and out-of-court restructuring and liability management representations include Big Lots, Fisker, Dean Foods, Instant Brands, American Rock Salt, K&N Engineering, Save A Lot, Bonanza Creek Energy, Arch Coal, Patriot Coal, James River Coal and Delta Air Lines.
- Ad hoc group of creditor representations include Pluralsight, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico bondholder group, Cineworld, Monitronics, ATI Physical Therapy, Alto Maipo, Blackhawk Mining, Jones Energy, Midstates Petroleum, Memorial Production Partners, Legacy Reserves and Vanguard Natural Resources.
- Senior lender or agent representations (including pre-petition, DIP and exit facilities) for institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, for cases including Sun Power, Envision Healthcare, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Avaya, Phoenix Services, Prospect Medical, Windstream, Briggs & Stratton, Ditech, Catalina Marketing, Outcome Health, Foxwoods, Eastman Kodak and Delphi.
- Acquirers in Section 363 or Plan sales in Paper Source (purchaser Elliott Investment Management), Alpha Latam (stalking horse bidder Cerberus), Garrett Motion (stalking horse bidder KPS Capital Partners), Arena Energy (purchaser San Juan Offshore) and GPX Tires (purchaser Warburg Pincus and Alliance Tire Group).
- Virgin Group as majority shareholder and DIP lender in the Virgin Orbit bankruptcy case.
- Independent director representations include EP Energy, Synergy Pharmaceutical and MF Global.
- Counsel to the Ad Hoc Group of Bondholders of Puerto Rico’s Government Development Bank in devising the first-ever restructuring of a Puerto Rico entity under PROMESA.
- Counsel to the joint administrators and liquidators of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) and its U.K. Lehman affiliates, including in connection with tens of billions of dollars of claims against Lehman’s U.S. entities.
- Counsel to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York with respect to more than $150 billion in financings for American International Group (AIG).
Insights
News
Recognition
American Lawyer – “Dealmaker of the Year,” 2020
Law360 – “Bankruptcy MVP of the Year,” 2020; “Rising Star: Bankruptcy,” 2013
Chambers USA – Bankruptcy/Restructuring
IFLR1000 – Restructuring and Insolvency, United States, Highly Regarded
Legal 500 U.S. – Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy): Corporate
Futures and Options – Dream Big Award, 2025
The Deal – “Top Bankruptcy Lawyer,” 2017
Turnarounds & Workouts – “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer,” 2016, 2022; “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer,” 2012
Lawdragon – 500 Leading Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers, 2024
Super Lawyers – “Outstanding Bankruptcy Lawyer”
WhyHunger – Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, 2021
Education
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- Member, Columbia Business Law Review
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit
- U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
- U.S. District Court, S.D. New York