King & Spalding announced today that Eric Wise and Matt Kelsey have joined the firm’s Finance and Restructuring practice group as partners. Wise and Kelsey have practiced together for more than twenty years, advising clients on complex Chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings, foreclosures and enforcements, related special situations financings and other corporate transactions. They are based in the firm’s New York office. Wise and Kelsey join the firm from Alston & Bird.

“Eric and Matt are well known in the New York restructuring market and to many of our partners, and they have an abundance of sophisticated restructuring experience on both the creditor and debtor sides that complements our team’s capabilities well,” said Carolyn Alford, co-leader of the firm’s Finance and Restructuring practice group. “Eric and Matt have the right combination of legal skill and entrepreneurial spirit that will make them a strong fit with our clients and team and will contribute to our continued growth in New York.”

Eric Wise

Wise focuses his practice on restructuring matters and special situations finance and has extensive experience in complex liability management transactions, Chapter 11 matters, workouts, rights offerings, recapitalizations, post-petition and exit financing, and distressed debt purchases and sales. His restructuring clients include first lien credit groups, junior lien creditor groups, unsecured creditor groups, official committees of unsecured creditors, equity holders, post-petition lenders, and debtors, and his special situations finance clients include lenders, arrangers, and borrowers. His experience stretches across a variety of industries including cryptocurrency, e-commerce, shipping, telecommunications, health care, hospitality, real estate, steel, automotive, chemical, energy, transportation, financial institutions, and paper and forest products sectors. Wise received his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College, his M.A. from Claremont Graduate University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Matt Kelsey

Kelsey focuses his practice on complex in-court and out-of-court Chapter 11 matters for debtors, ad hoc creditor groups, financial institutions, agents and trustees, and official committees. He also provides distressed-investing advice to investment firms, hedge funds, and other financial institutions. He works in a variety of industries, including the transportation, real estate, retail, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, finance, shipping, and construction sectors. Kelsey earned his B.A. from Thomas Aquinas College and his J.D., with honors, from Rutgers University, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and was the recipient of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Medal of Excellence.

“King & Spalding’s finance and restructuring team has a strong base of clients, is a leader in the private credit space, and is committed to growing in New York and beyond,” said Wise. “Matt and I are excited about this team’s ambitious, lean-in mentality, and for the ways the firm’s extensive platform and collaborative approach to client service will benefit our practice and our clients.”