what does a restructuring lawyer do

by Prof. Alicia Stehr 6 min read

What lawyers do

  • Initiate a Chapter 11 case to pursue restructuring within the protective provisions of the Bankruptcy Code (usually known as ‘filing for Chapter 11’).
  • Prevent stigmatization of employees and business operations. ...
  • Secure financing. ...

More items...

Bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers represent debtors, creditors, equity interest holders, and other entities that may be interested in a business (such as a prospective acquirer) that is confronting financial difficulties.

Full Answer

What do restructuring and insolvency lawyers do?

Restructuring and insolvency lawyers act for clients (either individuals or companies) in financial difficulties. Restructuring is usually the first stage in the process of agreeing a way forward with creditors in order to manage repayment of the debt, without the client becoming insolvent.

What does a bankruptcy and restructuring associate do?

RA: Bankruptcy and restructuring associates do a variety of work depending on the nature of the matter and the level of experience of the associate.

What does it mean when a company is restructuring?

Restructuring is usually the first stage in the process of agreeing a way forward with creditors in order to manage repayment of the debt, without the client becoming insolvent. What do restructuring and insolvency lawyers do?

What skills do you need to be a restructuring attorney?

Having an interest in the world of business and finance is a prerequisite for this area of law. In order to advise clients on every aspect of restructuring their business, you will need to have very good levels of commercial awareness and excellent persuasive communication skills in order to deal with people in difficult situations.

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How does a restructuring work?

Key Takeaways Restructuring is when a company makes significant changes to its financial or operational structure, typically while under financial duress. Companies may also restructure when preparing for a sale, buyout, merger, change in overall goals, or transfer of ownership.

What are the disadvantages of out of court restructuring?

DISADVANTAGES of RESTRUCTURING The primary disadvantages to out-of-court restructuring solutions are: The restructuring cannot produce the absolute finality and termination of all potential claims and litigation that a bankruptcy court order provides.

Is restructuring the same as insolvency?

Restructuring and insolvency lawyers act for clients (either individuals or companies) in financial difficulties. Restructuring is usually the first stage in the process of agreeing a way forward with creditors in order to manage repayment of the debt, without the client becoming insolvent.

How does a company restructure debt?

The debt restructuring process typically involves getting lenders to agree to reduce the interest rates on loans, extend the dates when the company's liabilities are due to be paid, or both. These steps improve the company's chances of paying back its obligations and staying in business.

What is out of court restructure?

An out-of-court restructuring is when a financially troubled company and its creditors come to an agreement without having to resort to Court. If successful, a collaborative out-of-court restructuring is far less expensive than a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

What is the downside of Chapter 11?

One of the primary disadvantages of a business filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy is that the chapter 11 bankruptcy process is often long, complex, and costly, and therefore, chapter 11 bankruptcy is often too burdensome for a business facing difficult financial decisions.

What are the types of restructuring?

Types of restructuringLegal restructuring. ... Turnaround restructuring. ... Cost restructuring. ... Repositioning restructuring. ... Spin-off restructuring. ... Divestment. ... Mergers and acquisitions. ... Maintain transparency throughout the process.More items...•

Who initiates a restructuring plan?

The process is set out in Part 26 of the CA 2006 and is available to both solvent and insolvent companies. A scheme of arrangement can be initiated by a company, an administrator, a liquidator or a creditor (although in practice it is difficult for a creditor to do so without the involvement of the company).

What is financial restructuring?

Corporate financial restructuring is any substantial change in a company's financial structure, or ownership or control, or business portfolio, designed to increase the value of the firm.

What are the three types of debt restructuring?

Restructuring normally is accomplished in three ways: via an extension, a composition, or a debt-for-equity swap. An extension occurs when creditors agree to lengthen the debtor firm's repayment period. Creditors often agree to suspend temporarily both interest and principal repayments.

Does restructuring affect credit rating?

Borrowers must also keep in mind that loan restructuring will impact their credit score, and consequently, their loan eligibility. RBI had asked banks to report such cases as “restructured" to credit bureaus in the earlier restructuring. Loans reported as restructured hurt the credit scores of borrowers.

How can I get out of debt restructuring?

Unless all the accounts are paid up or the consumer becomes entitled to a clearance certificate, the only way to terminate the debt review process, according to the NCR's Withdrawal from Debt Review Guidelines, is to apply to court for either the rescission of the debt review order if one was obtained, or for a ...

What is a restructuring lawyer?

Restructuring and insolvency lawyers act for clients (either individuals or companies) in financial difficulties. Restructuring is usually the first stage in the process of agreeing a way forward with creditors in order to manage repayment of the debt, without the client becoming insolvent.

What is an insolvency lawyer?

As an insolvency lawyer, you may be acting for either debtors or creditors, but the work will be contentious. Insolvency lawyers are engaged in all stages of the insolvency process , from negotiating company voluntary arrangements, to administration and receivership.

In a nutshell

The essential task of bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers is to avoid a client’s bankruptcy. The term ‘bankruptcy’ itself is a technical term that refers to when financially distressed companies, unable to restructure on their own, file for Chapter 11 to undergo a court-supervised restructuring.

What lawyers do

Analyze the situation in order to determine the feasibility of staying out of bankruptcy.

Current issues

The obvious story here is the economic crisis created by coronavirus. Vulnerable companies will be seeking out lawyers to manage their liquidity and solvency, and handle their bankruptcies. Already we've seen significant growth in bankruptcy staffing, reallocating from transactional areas.

What is restructuring a company?

Restructuring is when a company makes significant changes to its financial or operational structure, typically while under financial duress. Companies may also restructure when preparing for a sale, buyout, merger, change in overall goals, or transfer of ownership.

How does restructuring cost add up?

Restructuring costs can add up quickly for things such as reducing or eliminating product or service lines, canceling contracts, eliminating divisions, writing off assets, closing facilities, and relocating employees. Entering a new market, adding products or services, training new employees, and buying property results in extra costs as well.

Is restructuring a painful process?

Restructuring can be a tumultuous, painful process as the internal and external structure of a company is adjusted and jobs are cut . But once it is completed, restructuring should result in smoother, more economically sound business operations.

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Understanding Corporate Restructuring

  • When a company is going insolvent or facing another significant problem, corporate restructuring is used to turn the company around. Restructuring is any process that makes a significant modification to the debt, operations, legalities, or structure of a company. It almost always includes reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, financial, and other structures of a comp…
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Why Restructure?

  • Most commonly, formal legal proceedings trigger restructuring, but this process can also be internally launched more informally by officers to bring the business back to profitability. Often, a change of ownership or ownership structure, Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, a hostile takeover, a demerger, a response to a business crisis, or major change in the business, such as …
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Financial and Debt Restructuring

  • Financial and debt restructuring is a key way that companies begin the restructuring process. Essentially, financial restructuring requires consolidating and adjusting the terms of debts carried by the company and recapitalizing. This can include securing new loans, debt rescheduling, and equity-for-debt swaps. Often, companies will also issue priv...
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Operational Restructuring

  • Financial restructuring alone is rarely enough to turn a struggling business around. At the same time, they usually must carry out operational restructuring. During operational restructuring, a company adjusts its business model to become more profitable. Exactly what this entails will depend on the company. Common cost-cutting moves during operational restructuring include: …
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