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Michael R. Handler is a partner in King & Spalding’s Finance and Restructuring practice. Michael’s practice focuses on representing lenders and bondholders across the capital structure and companies in all aspects of workout, restructuring, special situation financing matters and distressed M&A transactions. Michael also has significant experience in connection with investment manager and broker-dealer liquidations and wind-downs, private credit restructurings and insolvency-related structured finance matters.
Michael is at the forefront of intercreditor litigation and related issues, having led significant contested matters concerning the protection of minority lender rights in the Ascena Retail Group, Inc. and 24 Hour Fitness chapter 11 cases and the Boardriders, Inc. litigation in New York Supreme Court. Michael is a leading authority on intercreditor issues, and is regularly featured by Bloomberg, WSJ, Debtwire, among others, to provide insights.
Michael has been recognized by the American Bankruptcy Institute as a member of the 2024 “40 Under 40” Emerging Leaders in Insolvency Practice, Financier Worldwide as a 2024 Distinguished Advisors, Turnarounds & Workouts as a 2023 Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer and by Best Lawyers Ones to Watch for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Michael also devotes significant time and resources in support of New York philanthropic initiatives, including as an active fundraiser for Tina’s Wish and a member of the UJA Federation’s NextGen Bankruptcy & Restructuring Committee.
Michael earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in History, summa cum laude, from Emory University and his law degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, where he served as an Executive Articles Editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology.
Publications
- ABA The Business Lawyer, July 10, 2024, Private Credit Restructuring: Less Cost and Volatility; More Optionality
- Petition Newsletter, Guest Feature on Double DIP financings, published in two parts on February 14, 2024 and April 25, 2024
- The Review of Banking & Financial Services, October 1, 2023, Key Issues in Standing to Challenge Liability Management-Related Transactions
- Law360, February 24, 2023, A Lender's Guide To Going-Concern Qualifications (with Craig Lee and Emily Rubino)
- The Review of Banking & Financial Services, November 30, 2022, The Role of Independent Directors in Mitigating Liability Arising from Restructuring Decisions (with Arthur Steinberg)
- Law360, September 28, 2022, Meme Stock Buyers Must Heed Bankruptcy Code Provisions (with Andrew Michaelson)
- ABI Journal, July 14, 2022, Lending to Cannabis Companies: No Bankruptcy, No Problem?1 (with Ellen Snare and Christina Markus)
- ABI Journal, April 24, 2021, Pitfalls of Unequal Participation Rights in Syndicated DIP Financing (with Arthur Steinberg and Austin Jowers)
- ABI Journal, May 2020, The Good-Faith Defense to Fraudulent Transfer Claims (with Arthur Steinberg)
- New York Law Journal, September 23, 2019, Mitigating Lender Risk in Constructive Fraudulent Transfer Litigation (with Arthur Steinberg)
- Third Circuit Permits Purchaser in Section 363 Sale to Make Payments to Interested Parties, Deviating from Bankruptcy Code Priority Scheme, Pratt’s Journal of Bankruptcy Law, April/May 2016, with Brad Eric Scheler and Alan Resnick.
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