Practice focuses on corporate restructurings and bankruptcy law with an emphasis on official and informal creditor groups.
More than 20 years of experience advising on contentious and non-contentious restructuring matters in a range of industries.

James represents official and informal committees of creditors (secured and unsecured), debtors, debtor in possession lenders and acquirers of businesses and assets in large, complex chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. His restructuring matters encompass a wide variety of industries and often involve multijurisdictional and cross-border issues.

Representative Work

SVB: Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the chapter 11 case of SVB Financial Group, the former parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, involving $3.4 billion in liabilities. Successful Restructurings of the Year (Turnarounds & Workouts)
Revlon: Counsel to an ad hoc group of secured term loan lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Revlon and its affiliates, a personal care and cosmetics company that sells its products in approximately 150 countries, involving $3.5 billion in liabilities.
Hertz: Counsel to an ad hoc group of second lien noteholders in the chapter 11 cases of Hertz and its affiliates, an international car rental company, involving $19 billion in liabilities. Successful Restructurings of the Year (Turnarounds & Workouts)
Crédito Real: Counsel to an ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders and lenders in the restructuring of Crédito Real and its affiliates, a Mexican nonbank financial institution, involving more than $2 billion in liabilities.
Pacific Drilling: Counsel to an ad hoc group of secured noteholders in the second chapter 11 restructuring of Pacific Drilling and its affiliates, an offshore ultra-deepwater drilling company, involving $1.1 billion in liabilities. Energy Deal of the Year (The M&A Advisor)

Foresight Energy: Counsel to an ad hoc group of first lien lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Foresight Energy and its affiliates, a leading producer of thermal coal, involving $1.5 billion in liabilities.
Sanchez Energy: Counsel to the debtor, an upstream energy company, in its chapter 11 cases involving approximately $2.3 billion in liabilities.
Parker Drilling: Counsel to an informal group of creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Parker Drilling and its affiliates, a provider of drilling services and rental tools to the energy industry, involving approximately $695.4 million in liabilities.
CHC Group: Counsel to an informal secured noteholder group that served as plan sponsor in the chapter 11 cases of CHC Group and its affiliates, a provider of helicopter transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry, involving $2.19 billion in liabilities. Corporate Turnaround of the Year - Large/Mega (Turnarounds Atlas Awards)
Cobalt International Energy: Counsel to an informal group of second lien creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Cobalt International Energy and its affiliates, an oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) company, involving $3 billion in liabilities.
Cenveo: Counsel to the informal group of second lien creditors in the chapter 11 cases of Cenveo and its affiliates, a manufacturer of print-related products in North America and the United Kingdom, involving $1.4 billion in liabilities.
Walter Energy: Counsel to the informal group of first lien lenders in the chapter 11 cases of Walter Energy and its affiliates, a leading producer and exporter of metallurgical coal, involving $3.02 billion in liabilities. Most Successful Restructurings of the Year (Turnarounds & Workouts)