Noted International Restructuring Lawyer Paul Atherton Joins Kaye Scholer in London

London: Noted bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer Paul Atherton has joined Kaye Scholer as a partner in its London office.

Previously a partner with Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in London, Atherton focuses on international insolvency and restructuring processes with a particular emphasis on cross-border matters and highly complex LBO restructurings. He also has a great deal of experience advising financial creditors in various distressed and turn-around situations.

“We are pleased to have Paul join us as a partner in our growing London office,” said Michael Solow, Kaye Scholer’s Managing Partner, who also is a top-ranked bankruptcy attorney. “Our Bankruptcy & Restructuring department’s offerings are of crucial importance in the current state of the international economy, and Paul’s skill set will be an essential part of continuing the first-rate work we do for our clients.”

Atherton has significant experience advising on German related restructurings from an English law perspective, including representing the senior lenders on the workout for German yarns manufacturer PHP GmbH; and the European spectacles and lens supplier Rodenstock GmbH in their restructuring implemented through a UK scheme of arrangement, which serves a model for other non-UK companies seeking a similar resolution. This will create great synergies with German-qualified restructuring partner David von Saucken, who joined the firm in November 2011. Atherton is expected to also work closely with Kaye Scholer’s Bankruptcy & Restructuring lawyers in the Frankfurt, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offices.

Other recent work includes representing the liquidators of Lehman Brothers Australia Limited in its insolvency proceedings and its international asset recoveries, advising various bondholders of Punch Taverns Plc’s securitization vehicles, and acting as international restructuring counsel for Japan Airlines Corporation, Asia's largest air carrier.

Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales, Atherton has a BA in Modern Languages and European Studies and is fluent in German and French as well as English.