March 24, 2026
Restructuring Department Co-Chair Jeffrey Saferstein and Restructuring partner and Miami office Co-Managing Partner David J. Cohen have been named 2026 “Dealmakers of the Year” by The American Lawyer magazine — one of the legal industry’s most coveted accolades.
The publication credited Jeffrey and David (together with a large Weil contingent, including Restructuring partners Clifford Carlson and Stephanie Morrison) for their efforts steering Steward Health Care System’s $9.2 billion chapter 11 restructuring, the largest healthcare bankruptcy in U.S. history.
With Steward facing collapse, the pair led negotiations that resulted in a global settlement with its landlord, absolving $7.6 billion in liabilities, and facilitated the transition of the operations of 28 hospitals in 12 states, keeping them open and patient care uninterrupted. They also helped secure more than $395 million in critical financing and overcame 50-plus objections over five days of trial to ensure the confirmation and approval of a creditor settlement and wind-down plan.
In discussing the magnitude of this transaction, Jeffrey and David stressed the need to act quickly so patients would not be forced to move or go without care. They also noted the complexity of the deal, ranging from difficulties in allocating property in the sales of hospitals, to post-bankruptcy litigation that will result in proceeds to pay creditors back.
This is the third time in the last four years attorneys from Weil have been named among the magazine’s “Dealmakers of the Year.”
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