Biography
David J. Cohen is a partner in Weil's Restructuring Department and is based in New York and Miami where he is the Co-Managing Partner of Weil’s Miami office. David has extensive experience representing debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, sponsors, lenders, bondholders, acquirors and other key stakeholders in U.S. and cross border corporate restructurings (both in-court in chapter 11, chapter 15, receivership, international insolvency, and other proceedings, as well as out-of-court), liability management transactions, distressed financings and distressed M&A transactions across a wide-range of industries.
David represents companies, sponsors, ad hoc creditor groups, DIP lenders, secured lenders and other creditors in a number of in‑court and out-of-court restructurings, recapitalizations, and other matters. Most recently, in 2025, David was named a “Rising Star” in Bankruptcy by Law360, recognized as an “On the Rise” attorney at the Florida Legal Awards by the Daily Business Review, and included in both Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers and its Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation list (2024-2025). In 2024, he was honored as an “Emerging Leader” by The M&A Advisor, and in 2023, he was recognized as an “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer” by Turnarounds & Workouts. David regularly speaks on bankruptcy and restructuring panels and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Miami School of Law and University of Florida Levin College of Law.
Representative Experience
Debtor/Company-Side Experience:
- Representing the largest private, physician-owned for-profit healthcare network in the United States Steward Health Care System LLC in connection with its chapter 11 cases involving over $8 billion in debt obligations ($7 billion of which is in long-term lease commitments)
- Representing Leafly Holdings in connection with its ongoing strategic transaction efforts
- Represented AYR Wellness in connection with its debt exchange and new-money financing under the CBCA
- Represented real estate investment trust Adventus Realty in connection with its restructuring efforts
- Represented The Greenrose Holding Company in connection with its out-of-court restructuring
- Represented the special committee of board of directors of Shutterfly in connection with its $200 million new money financing and exchange transaction
- Represented Redbox Entertainment in connection with its financing efforts and merger with Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
- Represented MedMen Enterprises in connection with its leading edge out-of-court restructuring involving hundreds of millions in liabilities and resulting in a $100 million new-money equity recapitalization
- Represented America’s oldest clothier Brooks Brothers in its chapter 11 cases and $325 million going concern sale and its related proceedings under Canada’s Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA)
- Represented Topgolf in connection with its out-of-court equity recapitalization and credit agreement amendment and merger with Callaway Golf
- Represented oil and gas exploration and production company EP Energy in its successful chapter 11 cases that resulted in a deleveraging of approximately $4.5 billion in funded debt obligations
- Represented national Spanish-language media company LBI Media in its successful chapter 11 reorganization
- Represented nuclear power company Westinghouse Electric Company in its chapter 11 cases and $4.6 billion sale to Brookfield and ongoing matters
- Represented international retail clothing company Aéropostale in connection with its chapter 11 cases and its related proceeding under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act
- Represented Canadian steel giant Essar Steel Algoma in connection with its chapter 15 cases and related proceedings under the CCAA, and the chapter 11 cases of Essar Steel Minnesota
- Represented U.S. sporting goods retailer Golfsmith in connection with its chapter 11 cases and the related CCAA proceedings of its Canadian affiliates operating as Golf Town
- Represented Paragon Offshore in connection with its chapter 11 cases
Creditor/Sponsor/Acquiror/Other Experience:
- Representing DRI Healthcare, in connection with its $300 million royalty financing investment with Viridian Therapeutics
- Representing physician network PHP Holdings and affiliates of Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. in connection with conflict and financing matters relating to Prospect’s chapter 11 cases and PHP Holdings’ $700 million sale to Astrana Health
- Representing Magna, the largest creditor in the chapter 11 case of electric vehicle company Fisker, Inc.
- Representing Hankey Capital, the largest third-party secured lender to MedMen Enterprises in connection with MedMen’s California receivership and Canadian Bankruptcy & Insolvency Act proceedings
- Represented GoodRx, the largest creditor of Famulus Health, in its chapter 11 proceeding
- Represented equity sponsor and lender General Atlantic in connection with the chapter 11 cases of beauty brand company FORMA Brands
- Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders to Nordic Aviation Capital, the world’s largest regional aircraft lessor, on bespoke restructuring transactions for multiple aviation financing structures implemented under pre-arranged U.S. chapter 11 proceedings, including a consensual remarketing and mortgage enforcement for certain financing arrangements
- Representing the largest secured lender to Parallel in connection with its ongoing restructuring efforts
- Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders to Seadrill Limited, one of the world’s largest offshore drilling companies, in connection with its chapter 11 cases
- Represented equity sponsors and lenders Blackstone and Carlyle in the out-of-court recapitalization of Service King
- Represented SoftBank in its $200 million out-of-court recapitalization of Katerra and in its capacity as DIP lenders in Katerra’s chapter 11 cases
- Representing the DIP lender and senior secured lender in connection with the chapter 11 case of George Washington Bridge Bus Station Development Venture and in its ongoing litigation with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- Represented an ad hoc group of lenders in the out-of-court restructuring of Admiral Permian Resources
- Represented an ad hoc group of lenders of a global data processing and outsourced technology services provider
- Represented an ad hoc group of lenders of a global industrial company
- Represented an ad hoc group of secured noteholders in connection with the out-the-court restructuring of Sable Permian Resources and American Energy Permian Basin
- Represented an ad hoc group of secured lenders in connection with the chapter 11 cases and CCAA proceedings of Performance Sports Group, owner of iconic sporting good brands Bauer and Easton
- Represented secured lenders to FastMed, a privately owned operator of over 100 urgent care clinics in connection with its out-of-court restructuring
- Represented CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries in its acquisition of Logan’s Roadhouse
- Represented lenders to Alltech, a global agricultural product developer in such company’s out-of-court recapitalization
- Represented a secured lender in connection with the out-of-court recapitalization of a regional grocer
- Represented bidders in a number of chapter 11 cases, including Instant Brands and Open Road Films
Prior to joining Weil, David worked in public policy for the Government of Ontario and worked at a full-service law firm in Toronto where he was a member of teams that worked on a number of restructurings of large Canadian companies under the CCAA, including Nortel Networks, Target Canada, and Connacher Oil & Gas.