Jones
Walker represents institutional and private investors and other creditors
holding distressed debt. The distressed debt group restructures loans, enforces
creditors' remedies, represents creditors in bankruptcy, and arranges and
executes sales and acquisitions of distressed loans in discrete transactions or
in pools. We deal with issues that arise from title defects and related claims,
environmental problems, successor-developer issues, lender-liability claims,
and litigation arising in connection with distressed assets. Jones Walker has
experience working in tandem with receivers and property managers effectively
and efficiently to preserve legal rights and collateral value.
We
regularly represent clients in all transactional and litigation aspects of
business reorganizations, bankruptcy, and debtor-creditor matters. Our
attorneys handle sales of loans, both commercial and residential, in which we
may represent the lender or we may bring investor clients to the lender. Our
experience also extends to commercial and consumer loan restructuring and
enforcement.
In the
bankruptcy and workout arena, our attorneys act as advocates and counselors for
a broad range of clients, including vulture funds, debtors, trustees, DIP
lenders, secured and unsecured creditors, formal and ad hoc creditor and
bondholder committees, and indenture trustees. Our attorneys routinely litigate
such bankruptcy matters as avoidance actions, adequate protection and cash
collateral issues, executory contract assumptions and rejections, confirmations
of reorganization plans, and discharge and dischargeability complaints.
Outside
of bankruptcy, our transactional attorneys assist clients in acquiring troubled
or bankrupt companies or their key assets. Our attorneys have a broad range of
experience in non-bankruptcy traditional creditors' rights matters, such as
drafting settlement agreements, deeds in lieu, state and federal court
foreclosures on real estate, personal property, intellectual property, and
leasehold estates.
Our client base in the debtor-creditor area is
broad and diverse, and includes major and independent oil and gas producers,
banks, investment banks and funds, venture capital firms, real estate
investment trusts, developers and lenders, landlords, hotels, gaming concerns,
grocery chains, construction contractors, hospitals, nursing homes, interstate
transportation carriers, vessel constructors, airlines, equipment, vehicle and
vessel finance companies and lenders, retail stores, transmission, pipeline and
service companies, and officers and directors of troubled companies.
