Barry G. Russell

Partner

Areas of Focus

Barry G. Russell

Partner

barry.russell@akingump.com

Areas of Focus

Save as PDF

Share This Biography

Biography
  • Lead counsel in numerous financial restructurings, cross-border private placements and other financings in Europe over the last 20 years.
  • Consistently named as a leading individual by Chambers, Legal 500, IFLR1000 and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.

Representing noteholders, bondholders and other creditor groups, Barry Russell is a leading force in the cross-border financial restructuring and institutional private placement market. For more than 20 years, he has advised on many of the most significant cross-border workouts and financial restructurings—some involving complex political and economic issues—of European companies.

Insurance companies, pension funds, investment funds and other institutional investors rely upon Barry’s highly commercial, pragmatic approach and his ability to reach mutually beneficial and successful outcomes for his clients.

Barry focuses his practice on:

  • Complex workouts and financial restructurings
  • Cross-border institutional private placement issuance.

Barry has been named to the “Fifty Most Influential Lawyers 2023” list by Financial News. In Chambers UK, Barry is hailed as ‘masterful’ by impressed clients who say: ‘He is the go-to restructuring lawyer in the UK for cross-border private placements.’

Representative Work
  • Nordic Aviation Capital: Counsel to the private placement noteholders in relation to a waiver and deferral arrangement implemented through an Irish scheme of arrangement, and on the restructuring of more than $6 billion of the group’s debt through a chapter 11 plan.
  • Noble Group: Counsel to an ad hoc committee of unsecured creditors on the $3.5-billion financial restructuring of Noble Group, a worldwide commodities supply chain and trading company, most recently in a financial restructuring of Noble’s commodities trading business through security enforcement and the amendment and extension of Noble AssetCo’s notes.
  • Three Icelandic banks: Led the team advising the holders of more than $33 billion in bonds and other debt issued by three major Icelandic commercial banks (Glitnir, Kaupthing and Landsbanki), which failed in 2008, in successful negotiations with the Icelandic government and in the restructurings of the failed bank estates under Icelandic law composition agreements.
  • Interserve: Counsel to the private placement noteholders on the financial restructurings of Interserve plc, a U.K.-based support services and construction company, through a consensual debt restructuring and the eventual balance sheet restructuring of the group through a pre-packaged administration sale.
  • Premier Oil: Led the team advising a group of private placement noteholders in the $3.5-billion financial restructuring of Premier Oil involving a contested scheme of arrangement in the Scottish court and the eventual reverse takeover of the group.
  • ED&F Man: Counsel to various private placement noteholders on the restructuring of more than $1 billion in debt, including the grant of new security instruments in various jurisdictions, of ED&F Man Treasury Management, one of London’s oldest commodities brokers. Restructuring Deal of the Year (IFLR Europe Awards).
  • Quinn Group (now called Mannok): Counsel to the private placement noteholders on the €1.3-billion debt restructuring of Quinn Group, one of Ireland’s largest manufacturing companies.
  • Royal Imtech: Counsel on the restructuring and subsequent insolvency of Royal Imtech NV, a Dutch technical services provider.

"The doyen of the bankruptcy market and the ultimate client man and strategist. Straight as an arrow, impeccable judgement and a steadying hand in a crisis. Brings gravitas and experience to very difficult and opaque situations.”
Legal 500, 2023

Education
  • J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law, with highest honors, 1988

  • B.A., Le Moyne College, cum laude, 1985

Bar Admissions
  • Connecticut

  • Registered Foreign Lawyer in England and Wales

Recognitions
  • Financial News, Fifty Most Influential Lawyers 2023.
  • Chambers UK, Restructuring/Insolvency, 2017-2024.
  • Chambers Global, Restructuring and Insolvency and Capital Markets: Debt .
  • Chambers Europe, Restructuring/Insolvency (UK) and Capital Markets (UK).
  • The Legal 500 UK, Hall of Fame: Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Debt Capital Markets.
  • IFLR1000 UK, Market Leader, Restructuring and Insolvency and Capital Markets: Debt.
  • Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader: Global Elite, Restructuring & Insolvency, 2019-2020.
  • Best Lawyers UK, Insolvency & Restructuring Law.
  • Euromoney’s, Expert Guides: Best of the Best Global 2022.
  • Euromoney’s, Expert Guides: Guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers.
  • The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Insolvency and Restructuring.
  • Legal Experts, Best of the Best – Top 30 Insolvency Practitioners in the World.
Affiliations and Public Service
  • Fellow, American College of Investment Counsel.
  • Member, The Institute for Turnaround.
  • Member, INSOL International.
  • Member, Connecticut Bar Association.
  • Member, American Bar Association.

Insights and Achievements

          Related Content

          People

          Distinguished by our areas of focus, as a cohesive and integrated firm, we are defined by the caliber of our work, the responsiveness of our service and a culture that is rooted in collaboration and forward-thinking.

          We Also Recommend

          Loading...
          Loading...
          Loading...
          Loading...