Restructuring Department Co-Chair Matt Barr was selected as one of Financier Worldwide’s 2025 “Power Players: Distinguished Advisers” for Bankruptcy & Insolvency. Matt is one of just 10 prominent attorneys chosen for this honor.

In a profile and Q&A, the publication highlighted numerous major representations Matt has led, including advising Fieldwood Energy in its second, $1.8 billion chapter 11; Talen Energy Supply in its $5 billion chapter 11; and the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 cases of SunEdison, Inc., which, with assets of $20.7 billion and liabilities of $16.1 billion, was the largest bankruptcy of 2016.

Matt told Financier Worldwide that lawyers in Weil’s globally renowned Restructuring Department take a personal and unique approach to each matter because there is no single strategy that works for everything.

“We help clients make informed business decisions by addressing, not just legally what the answer is, but practically – what it means for their business, their position or their stake in the particular restructure,” he said. “We do not use a preconceived playbook.”

One of his most rewarding matters, he told the publication, was advising EP Energy in its $4.9 billion chapter 11. His team had won confirmation of a plan after contentious litigation, only to have COVID-19 disrupt everything, making the plan unviable due to falling oil prices and economic uncertainty.

“Within days, we renegotiated a new deal with senior creditors, preserving the company and saving thousands of jobs,” he said. “What stood out was the speed and clarity required under pressure. We had just won a major trial, but the world changed. The key lesson: no matter how hard-won a plan is, you must adapt when circumstances demand it.”