Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is pleased to announce that Paul E. Harner has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Finance & Bankruptcy practice group. Harner joins from Ballard Spahr LLP, where he led the restructuring practice in New York. Harner is the latest addition to Sheppard Mullin’s growing Finance & Bankruptcy practice, which has added nearly 20 attorneys nationwide in the last 12 months.
“Paul is a widely respected and accomplished insolvency lawyer,” said Sheppard Mullin chair Guy Halgren. “2020 was a very busy year for our bankruptcy practice and we expect that to continue through 2021 and thereafter as businesses affected by the pandemic plan for the future. Paul has led innumerable bet-the-company restructurings and reorganizations and clients will benefit enormously from this seasoned advisor.”
Ed Tillinghast, leader of Sheppard Mullin’s Finance & Bankruptcy practice group commented, “Paul is a seasoned and well-rounded restructuring professional with a broad range of experience, particularly on the company, bank group and private equity investor side. His outstanding reputation and substantial background will play a major role in further strengthening our marquee national insolvency practice.”
Recognized as a leader in his field by Turnarounds & Workouts, Chambers USA, and Legal 500, among others, Harner also advises clients on issues involving distressed mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions. He likewise counsels boards of directors and management concerning fiduciary duty and corporate governance issues and represents his clients in related formation, spinoffs, secured financings, and recapitalizations.
Harner is an elected Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and currently serves as the chair of the American College of Bankruptcy Foundation. Early in his career, he clerked for The Honorable J. Dickson Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D., with highest honors, Order of the Coif, from Duke University.
