Faegre Drinker Strengthens Growing Restructuring Practice on Both Coasts With Additions of Richard Bernard and Scott Gautier

Faegre Drinker announced today that Richard Bernard and Scott Gautier have joined the firm as partners in the finance and restructuring practice group in New York and Los Angeles, respectively. Bernard comes to the firm from Foley & Lardner LLP. Gautier moves to the firm from Robins Kaplan LLP, where he was chair of the corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice group.

Bernard and Gautier’s arrivals follow other finance and restructuring attorney additions to the firm, including James Conlan and Patrick Corr, two of the world’s leading restructuring attorneys, New York partners Laura Appleby and Keith Costa, London partners Wayne Beck and Buvini Kularatne, and Wilmington partners Ian Bambrick and Brett Fallon.

“Because of the disruption across the global economy, we continue to see increased demand from clients seeking sophisticated restructuring guidance,” said finance and restructuring practice group leader Mike Stewart. “Recently we’ve welcomed an impressive group of professionals to our cross-border practice and Richard and Scott’s arrivals push our expansion initiative further. Their proven results in high profile restructurings and reorganizations will boost our strong international capabilities.”

Richard Bernard counsels clients in an array of industries, including energy, mining, aviation, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, heavy industry, real estate and hospitality, through difficult financial circumstances. His practice concentrates on corporate financial restructuring as well as business solutions, bankruptcy litigation, secured transactions, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and debtor/creditor rights for all types of stakeholders. Bernard is a past-president of the New York City chapter and a former member of the Global Board of the Turnaround Management Association. He clerked for the Honorable Robert A. Mark, United States Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida. Bernard earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, Columbia University and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law.

Scott Gautier’s practice is focused on creating and structuring transactions that maximize value for clients in distressed financial situations. He represents corporate debtors, creditors, committees, equity holders, and acquirers on all facets of corporate insolvency, and handles corporate assignments, bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructuring matters, distressed mergers, acquisitions and debtor/creditor issues in non-bankruptcy matters. Gautier serves on the Turnaround Management Association Global Executive Board as the vice president of the Financial Lawyers Conference and previously served two distinguished terms as a national director of the American Bankruptcy Institute. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and his Juris Doctor, with high honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

“Richard and Scott bring decades of collective experience serving as high impact advisers to financially distressed entities,” said co-leaders of the firm’s corporate restructuring practice team Michael Pompeo and James Millar. “Clients rely on them for innovative and comprehensive solutions to bankruptcy, reorganization and restructuring matters, and their moves to Faegre Drinker reinforce our growing team on both coasts.”

“We are executing on the plan to quickly but carefully assemble one of the premier large matter restructuring practices in the world, with a particular focus on the United States and Europe,” said co-leaders of the firm’s transnational restructuring and insolvency practice James Conlan and Patrick Corr.

Conlan and Corr, who joined the firm in June 2020 after serving in senior leadership roles at Sidley Austin, added, “Richard and Scott are the latest additions to the team as part of that growth plan, and we expect to welcome additional partners soon.”

Faegre Drinker’s global finance and restructuring practice comprises more than 100 professionals, including specialists, and advises clients across diverse industries on matters from financial transactions, to corporate debt restructurings, to bankruptcy and litigation matters.

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