David Griffiths

David was previously seconded to KKR Credit and embedded as a desk lawyer supporting the global Special Situations team, where he covered existing portfolio investments within the Special Situations Funds, and supported new investments focused primarily on capital structure or broader market dislocation, specifically rescue financing/recapitalizations, distressed for control trades, and secondary distressed and opportunistic investments.

David has significant multi-jurisdiction experience and was previously based in Weil’s London office. He provides commercial, legal, and strategic advice on cross-border issues to clients in stressed and special situations. Most recently, he  was named to the American Bankruptcy Institute’s “40 Under 40” in 2021 and named an “Emerging Leader” by The M&A Advisor for 2020. In 2019 David was named among Turnarounds & Workouts’ Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers and named a Law360 Rising Star. David is fluent in French.

David also spends a significant amount of time on pro bono and charitable activities. David worked in Haiti under the auspices of the Organization of American States on a disability rights project financed by USAID, training Haitian government ministers, civil servants, and judges on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. David is also the founder and trustee of international adventure charity Go Help. David also advised the UN World Food Programme on the world's first humanitarian weather derivative transaction, and previously worked for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania.

Representative Experience:

Company-side Experience:

• Scandinavian Airlines, an airline holding company based in Sweden in connection with its restructuring efforts.
• Topgolf International, Inc. in connection with its out-of-court equity recapitalization and credit agreement amendment
• Speedcast International Limited, and its affiliates, a provider of remote communications and IT services, in their chapter 11 cases.
• RentPath Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates, one of the nation’s largest apartment rental and digital marketing solutions companies, in connection with their prearranged chapter 11 cases and sale to CoStar, Inc.
• Westinghouse Electric Company, and its affiliates, a globally recognized nuclear power company, in its unprecedented chapter 11 cases involving liabilities in excess of $9 billion.
• CHC Group Ltd., a global helicopter service provider to offshore oilfield producers, operating on six continents with more than 220 aircrafts, in their chapter 11 cases, involving liabilities in excess of 1.5 billion.
• Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc., an operator of 89 golf-focused retail stores, in connection with its chapter 11 case, including its $160 million global sale of its assets, which included a U.S. 363 bankruptcy sale, to Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. and to several liquidators including Hilco.
• MF Global UK Limited, in connection with our representation as Special Administrators of the UK arm of MF Global, a global financial derivatives broker, through cross-continental coordination involving teams from the US and UK.
• General Motors/Motors Liquidation Company, in the unprecedented chapter 11 sale of the ongoing company, including all international operations.
• Uno Restaurants Holdings Corporation and its 152 affiliated debtors, in their pre-negotiated chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. The restructuring converted $142 million in senior secured notes into a controlling equity stake in reorganized UNO held by certain of its noteholders.

Creditor-side Experience:

• LATAM Airlines, Latin America’s leading airline group, as counsel to Apollo Global Management and affiliated funds, Tranche B DIP Lender in connection with LATAM’s multi-tranche DIP financing totaling more than $3.1 billion in the aggregate.
• Avadim Health, Inc., a healthcare and wellness company, which develops, manufactures, and markets topical products for institutional care and consumer markets, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, as counsel to Hayfin Services, LLP, as administrative agent, noteholder representative, collateral agent, and DIP agent, and Midava Holdings 3, Inc., as stalking horse purchaser.
• Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., a provider of media and satellite-based connectivity solutions worldwide, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, as counsel to Citibank as DIP Agent and Prepetition Revolver and Term Loan Agent.
• Bumble Bee Tuna, a major North American packaged foods company, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, as counsel to Brookfield as Term Loan Agent, DIP Term Loan Agent and Lenders, including the ~$1 billion sale of Bumble Bee Tuna to its largest supplier.
• Sable Permian Resources, LLC, an independent Permian-based oil and natural gas company, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, as counsel to an ad hoc group of secured noteholders.
• REVA Medical, Inc., a medical device company which focuses on the development and commercialization of polymer-based bioresorbable products for vascular applications, in connection with its chapter 11 case, as counsel to Goldman Sachs International, as Prepetition Secured Lender and Noteholder.
• Emerge Energy Services LP, a major energy service provider that engages in the mining, production, and distribution of silica sand proppant for the oil and gas fracturing industry, in connection with its chapter 11 cases, as counsel to HPS Investment Partners, LLC, acting as the DIP Agent, DIP Lender, and DIP Secured Party, and ultimate owner of the Emerge Energy business.
• MBIA Insurance Corporation, global insurance companies, in connection with the restructuring of The Renewable Power International Group, a Spanish renewable energy provider.
• Violin Memory, Inc., in connection with its strategic planning and subsequent chapter 11 proceedings, as counsel to the ad hoc group of noteholders, including Soros Fund Management, Jefferies, Phoenix Asset Management, Nokota Management and Silverback Asset Management.
• SandRidge Energy, Inc., in connection with the company’s strategic planning and subsequent chapter 11 proceedings, as counsel to the ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders, including Fir Tree Partners, Solus Alternative Asset Management, Paulson & Co., and Akanthos Capital Management.
• Seventy Seven Energy, Inc., in connection with its chapter 11 case, as counsel to the ad hoc group of opco noteholders, including BlueMountain Capital Management, Axar Capital and Mudrick Capital in their acquisition of the company through a plan of reorganization.
• Valeant Pharmaceuticals, as counsel to an ad hoc group of noteholders in connection with the company’s indenture defaults.
• Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, in connection with its chapter 15 proceedings, as counsel to large real estate funds.

Out-of-court restructuring/Buyer of Assets in chapter 11 proceedings/First Lien Lender Experience:

• Things Remembered, Inc., as counsel to the steering committee of term loan lenders to Things Remembered in their acquisition of the company through an out-of-court debt-to-equity conversion.
• Berkshire Partners and portfolio company Engineering Solutions & Products, in the out-of-court restructuring of this defense company.
• Soros Fund Management, in the bankruptcy auction for and subsequent acquisition through a plan of reorganization of Violin Memory, Inc.
• Brookfield Asset Management, in its successful bid for Revel casino through the company’s chapter 11 auction.
• TerraMar Capital and Trive Capital, as senior lenders to Fansteel, Inc. in the company’s chapter 11 proceedings.

Corporate & Capital Markets Experience:

• General Electric Company, in its strategic plan to sell most of GE Capital’s assets.
• Synchrony Financial (GE Capital’s North American retail finance business), one of the premier consumer financial services companies in the United States and the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on purchase volume and receivables, in its approximately $2.95 billion initial public offering, and related $3.6 billion debt offering.