Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that veteran bankruptcy lawyer Jeff Reisner has joined the firm to lead and grow the Insolvency & Restructuring practice. Reisner, who joins as a partner, will be based in Steptoe’s Los Angeles and New York offices.
Reisner brings 30 years of experience in reorganization and bankruptcy matters, corporate transactions and complex commercial litigation. He represents formal and informal creditors’ committees, debtors, acquirers of assets, investors, independent directors, boards of directors, trustees, lenders and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy cases and out-of-court restructurings throughout the United States.
Steptoe Chair Phil West commented: “The economic impact of the pandemic has already dramatically increased the demand for bankruptcy and work-out services, and that demand is likely to continue to remain high for the foreseeable future. Jeff is the ideal person to lead and grow our Insolvency & Restructuring practice. He has three decades of experience, is a recognized leader, and is extremely well-liked by clients and peers. Jeff’s arrival will also strengthen our Los Angeles office, which has added three partners since January.”
Reisner has transaction experience in a wide range of industries, including defense contracting, automotive and trucking, restaurants and hospitality, convalescent and healthcare, energy, technology, building supply, real estate, textiles, lending, distribution, satellites, manufacturing, mortgages, payroll, aerospace, medical testing and devices, entertainment, communications technology and sporting goods. He is experienced in counseling clients acquiring or disposing of assets from healthy and troubled companies in both traditional sales and auctions.
Reisner also leads board investigations in an array of areas including alleged sexual misconduct and corporate and financial malfeasance. Additionally, he represents high-level executives in connection with separation, employment and related matters.
Ranked in the 2020 edition of Chambers USA, the editors report that Reisner “is incredibly responsive and client-oriented,” and that “he is extremely smart, practical and business-oriented, clients love him and he is a very effective lawyer.”
Reisner commented: “Steptoe provides my national practice with the perfect platform. The firm has a deep bench of talent in its corporate, litigation, regulatory, tax and employment practices to build a truly multi-disciplinary bankruptcy team. Additionally, the firm’s overseas offices will help expand the reach of the practice to foreign investors, creditors and debtors impacted by US bankruptcy laws that encourage foreign debtors to file for bankruptcy in the United States. I am extremely excited about the opportunities the firm provides.”
Steptoe’s Corporate group represents companies in all areas of corporate, securities, and finance transactions, particularly those in a cross-border context. The group’s lawyers work with clients at every stage of the business cycle, from entity formation and early stage financing, to day-to-day advice on business and legal issues, to negotiating mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and dispositions, to complex financial and restructuring transactions.
Reisner has served in leadership roles in the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Association for Corporate Growth and the California Bankruptcy Forum. He is an inducted fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, and a frequent speaker and author.
Reisner earned his J.D. and M.B.A. from New York University and his B.S. from Cornell University.
