Drinker Biddle Adds Corporate Restructuring Partner Laura Appleby in New York

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP today announced that Laura E. Appleby has joined the New York office as a partner in the Corporate Restructuring group. Appleby comes to the firm from Chapman and Cutler LLP.

For more than a decade, Appleby has represented clients across a broad range of industries in all aspects of complex bankruptcy proceedings, out-of-court restructurings and distressed transactions. She has experience representing bondholders, indenture trustees, financial institutions and other creditors in special situations, and she provides advice related to for-profit corporations, nonprofit entities and municipalities.

“Laura has an impressive background in a wide array of bankruptcy and corporate restructuring areas,” said Andrew C. Kassner, Drinker Biddle’s chairman and CEO. “Her experience will strengthen our nationally ranked Corporate Restructuring team, and her savvy legal counsel will benefit our clients in New York and across the country. We are pleased to welcome Laura during this exciting time for our firm.”

In addition to her extensive experience representing clients in virtually all aspects of complex corporate restructurings, Appleby provides sophisticated counsel to clients on issues of municipal distress and insolvency.

James H. Millar and Michael P. Pompeo, co-chairs of Drinker Biddle’s Corporate Restructuring group, said in a joint statement, “Laura is a highly regarded bankruptcy practitioner. She has significant experience in distressed debt restructurings and indenture trustee representations and will bring valuable insight to our clients.”

Appleby added, “I am thrilled to be joining Drinker Biddle during its combination with Faegre Baker Daniels, and have been impressed by the firms' compatibility and collaborative approach to client service. The combined strength of the firms' bankruptcy and restructuring teams is significant and I look forward to serving clients from this new platform.”

Appleby earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review.

More than 20 lawyers strong, Drinker Biddle’s Corporate Restructuring group provides a full range of services to clients, maximizing value through creative and cost-effective solutions to financial challenges. Understanding their clients’ businesses and the steps necessary to achieve their restructuring goals, the group provides a fully integrated approach to commercial workouts, refinancings, bankruptcy proceedings and other out-of-court debt restructurings. The team has been recognized for excellence by Chambers USA, Crain’s New York Business and The Legal Intelligencer, among other publications.