Suzzanne Uhland represents companies, creditors, and investors in their highest stakes chapter 11 reorganizations and out-of-court restructurings.

Ms. Uhland leverages her keen market perspective and effective negotiation skills to devise creative solutions in clients’ most complex distressed situations, including guiding:

  • Debtors-in-possession, creditors, and DIP lenders in public and private companies’ chapter 11 cases
  • Businesses in out-of-court restructurings and debt renegotiations
  • Private equity and hedge fund clients in distressed investments and portfolio company restructurings
  • Financial institutions and public and private companies in credit financing transactions
  • Parties to Bankruptcy Code Section 363(b) sales 

She partners with clients to diffuse volatile situations involving financial distress and acts immediately to protect her clients’ commercial interests. Ms. Uhland builds consensus across key stakeholders to maximize client value and expeditiously achieve successful outcomes.

Her experience spans technology, real estate, energy, and municipal restructurings and financings, as well as international insolvencies and debt restructurings. She advises clients on insolvency related risks in structured finance and derivative transactions, including those involving cryptocurrency and other digital assets.

A recognized thought leader on trends within the insolvency space, Ms. Uhland regularly speaks on panels at industry events. She is a member of the American College of Bankruptcy, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation.

Ms. Uhland serves on the board of the Friends of Orinda Creeks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the Orinda watershed in California.

Ms. Uhland’s broad experience includes representing:

Company-Side Restructurings

  • National CineMedia Inc. in the restructuring of National CineMedia LLC through its chapter 11 bankruptcy
  • MD Helicopters in connection with its chapter 11 bankruptcy and sale transaction, selected as Distressed M&A Deal of the Year (over $100M) in the 17th Annual Turnaround Awards
  • Pacific Drilling in emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
  • Yueting Jia (founder of Faraday Future) in the international restructuring of Jia’s more than US$3 billion of guaranty and other Chinese business liabilities through US chapter 11, which garnered recognition as Turnaround Atlas Awards’ 2021 Cross Border Turnaround of the Year (Large)
  • Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority in restructuring debt obligations of Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities, including completed restructurings of the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank, COFINA, and Puerto Rico Ports Authority*
  • Cal Dive International in its bankruptcy proceedings, which garnered recognition as Turnaround Atlas Awards’ 2016 Cross Border Distressed M&A Deal of the Year (Middle Markets)*
  • A leading financial services company in its out-of-court restructuring of US$10 billion of debt, as well as its ongoing financing arrangements*
  • New Century Financial Corporation, one of the largest subprime lenders to file chapter 11, in general bankruptcy, corporate, and litigation matters as debtor in possession*
  • A leading computer accessories manufacturer in its out-of-court restructuring, including amending and restating its first-lien credit and exchanging its second-lien indebtedness and senior subordinated notes for the company’s equity*
  • Advanced Marketing Services, a major distributor of books to retailers, in its chapter 11 case, including 363 sales of its two major business divisions*
  • Crow Winthrop Operating Partnership, owner of one of Orange County’s largest office complexes, in its chapter 11 case*
  • SeraCare Life Sciences, as special litigation and corporate counsel in its chapter 11 case*
  • Cable internet company Excite/At Home in its chapter 11 proceeding, and the At Home Liquidating Trust in the winddown of the estate*
  • Wherehouse Entertainment, one of the nation’s largest music retailers, in its chapter 11 proceeding*
  • Premier Laser Systems, a public medical device company, in its chapter 11 case*

Creditor- and Investor-Side Restructurings

  • Leadenhall Capital Partners LLP, as secured creditor and DIP lender, in the chapter 11 case of Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC
  • Barclays Bank, as first-lien agent, in Hertz Global Holding’s chapter 11 restructuring, which Global M&A Network recognized as 2022’s Turnaround of the Year (Mega +US$5 billion)
  • Paladin Health Care’s non-debtor property-owning affiliates in the chapter 11 case of the operating company of Hahnemann Hospital
  • The ad hoc group of first-lien lenders in Foresight Energy’s successful 2016 out-of-court restructuring*
  • Bank of America, as agent bank for revolving credit lenders, in Stone Energy’s prearranged chapter 11 restructuring*
  • Wilmington Trust, as second-lien term loan agent, in Bennu Oil & Gas’ chapter 7 bankruptcy cases*
  • Agent bank in Castex Energy Partners’ prearranged chapter 11 restructuring*
  • Beach Point Capital, as secured creditor, in real estate holding company Variant Holding’s bankruptcy*
  • The ad hoc group of second-lien lenders in the successful chapter 11 reorganization of AMF Bowling and its affiliates and acquisition of preservation of NOLs*
  • Three of Gramercy Capital’s distressed debt funds, as leading creditors, in the involuntary chapter 11 case and subsequent international reorganization of PT Berlian Laju Tanker, a shipping company based in Indonesia and Singapore*
  • A private equity fund in resolving its distressed gaming investments, including issues relating to gaming licenses and multi-employer plans*
  • Western Digital in acquiring substantially all of Read Rite Corporation’s assets and related proceedings related to intellectual property license rights*
  • BNP Paribas in resolving its portfolio of distressed healthcare credits, including skilled nursing and medical device related credits*

*Matter handled prior to joining the firm

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • "Managing Deteriorating and Distressed Credit," International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers 2022 Fall Conference (December 2022)
  • "Real Estate Workouts and Bankruptcies," PLI 24th, 23rd, 22nd Annual Commercial Real Estate Institute (November 2020, 2021, 2022)
  • “Retail Bankruptcies — where we've been and where we're going,” ABI’s Southwest Bankruptcy Conference 2019 (September 2019)
  • “Government and Quasi-Government Issuers,” International Insolvency Institute’s 18th Annual Conference (September 2018)
  • “Restructuring Issues in FinTech and Cryptocurrency,” IWIRC on the Vine (September 2018)
  • “Drilling Down in Oil and Oilfield Services Bankruptcies,” Financial Lawyers Conference (February 2017)
  • “International Investment in the U.S.” International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation Fall Conference, (October 2016)
  • “Makewhole Mishaps, Collateral Gaps and Interest Caps,” Financial Lawyers Conference (March 2015)

Bar Qualification

  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • New York

Education

  • J.D., Yale Law School, 1988
    Co-Editor in Chief, Yale Journal on Regulation
  • M.A., Stanford University, 1986
  • AB, Stanford University, 1984
    with distinction, Phi Beta Kappa