Oscar N. Pinkas is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Global Restructuring & Special Situations Practice, and a member of the Corporate and Finance Practices. He focuses on transactions (front-end and back-end) as well as turnarounds and workouts, including in-court practice and estate representations. His clients include investors, purchasers, lenders/noteholders, companies, indenture trustees and collateral agents, and creditors’ committees.
Oscar is adept at understanding clients’ goals and pursuing them through the most complex of situations, while anticipating and navigating the interests of competing constituencies. Clients seek out Oscar’s dynamic leadership, creativity and practicality to help navigate their most difficult, unique, or sensitive problems as he can approach situations both as a fierce competitor and with a deft touch, with the goal of protecting his clients’ interests at every turn. Oscar has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America, a Top Restructuring & Turnaround Professional, and an Emerging Leader in M&A, Financing and Turnaround. In addition, many transactions or restructurings Oscar has led have received awards due to the outsized results obtained. Those accolades equally show the breadth and depth of skill and experience of his practice groups at the firm, with Greenberg Traurig’s Restructuring and Special Situations Practice named “The Elite” and Corporate/Finance Group named “Highly Regarded” by Chambers USA.
Clients turn to Oscar for counsel in situations in or out of court involving strategic, operational, or financial issues, with an emphasis on assisting investors, sponsors, lenders/noteholders and funds deploy, manage, exit and recover on their investments, including in M&A, equity or debt (primary or secondary) transactions, growth, realignment, optimization and turnaround of companies, capital recoveries (including workout, taking ownership and foreclosure), and any attendant disputes or litigation. His work is domestic and cross-border in nature, having advised on transactions and situations on 6 continents, involving up to 12 countries in any given instance and over 30 different countries in total.
Restructurings or transactions Oscar has been heavily involved in include: abc carpet & home, Accuride, A. Stucki & Co., ATP-UK, bebe stores, Brazos Electric, Deluxe Entertainment, Dura Automotive Systems, Erickson, Fenix Parts, Fontainebleau, Gasfrac Energy, Global A&T Electronics, iMedia, Inversiones Latin American Power, Intercement, Lehman Brothers, Magnetation, Mesabi Metallics, Movie Gallery, NewComm Wireless, Ranger Offshore, Refco, Revlon, Rite Aid, Sanjel, Sea Containers, Sheridan Production Partners, Star Entertainment, Tropicana Entertainment, VIVUS, Walter Energy, Westpoint Home, WOM Chile, and Young Broadcasting.
Concentrations
•Corporate
•Cross-border restructuring matters
•Distressed M&A, investing, and debt trading
•Finance
•Insolvency litigation and enforcement
•Noteholder/loan recovery/workouts
•Mergers and acquisitions
•Out-of-court restructurings and workouts
•Private equity
•Restructuring, insolvency, and bankruptcy
The attorney is providing legal services through and affiliated with Greenberg Traurig, LLP, a New York Limited Liability Partnership. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Judicial Clerkships
•Hon. Donald H. Steckroth, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, 2025
•Listed, Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers,” 2025
•The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation - Bankruptcy, 2023-2026
•“Top Restructuring & Turnaround Professional,” 2022
•“Emerging Leader in M&A, Financing and Turnaround,” 2017*
•Super Lawyers, “Top Attorney,” Bankruptcy: Business, Creditor/Debtor Rights, 2020-Present
•Legal Team Leader, M&A and Finance
•“USA Recapitalization Deal of the Year (mm),” 2025
•“Healthcare/Life Sciences Deal of the Year in the over $1 billion range,” 2025*
•“Restructuring of the Year (Media),” 2023
•“Distressed M&A Deal of the Year,” 2018, 2023*
•“Refinancing Deal of the Year,” 2023*
•“Recapitalization of the Year,” 2022
•“M&A Deal of the Year,” 2018*
•“Financials Deal of the Year,” 2020, 2021*
•“Materials Deal of the Year,” 2017 and 2025*
•“Consumer Discretionary Deal of the Year,” 2017 and 2025*
•“Community Impact Deal of the Year,” 2017
•Legal Team Leader, Restructuring and Bankruptcy
•“Cross-border Restructuring of the Year in the $100 million to $1 billion range,” 2025*
•“Out-of-court Restructuring of the Year in the $100 million to $500 million range,” 2025*
•“Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year in the $100 million to $500 million range,” 2025*
•“Large Turnaround Award,” 2024*
•“Pre-pack Restructuring Award,” 2024*
•“Media Restructuring Transaction Award,” 2024*
•“Turnaround of the Year (Large),” 2023
•“Restructuring of the Year,” 2023*
•“Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year,” 2022
•“Cross-Border Turnaround of the Year,” 2018
•“Restructuring Deal of the Year,” 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023*
•“Pre-pack Restructuring of the Year,” 2020, 2023
•“Out of Court Restructuring of the Year,” 2019
•“Corporate Turnaround of the Year,” 2021
•“Financials Restructuring of the Year,” 2021
Awards noted with a * are from The M&A Advisor and with a are from Global M&A Network.