Frank Grell helps clients navigate distressed situations related to restructuring or insolvency. He chairs the German Restructuring & Special Situations Practice and the German Finance Department. Mr. Grell has earned a strong reputation from clients and leading publications for his empathetic approach and ability to craft pragmatic and commercial solutions in high-pressure or crisis situations.
Mr. Grell advises:
- Companies, management, and shareholders in a financial or operational crisis
- Creditors in all phases of financial restructurings, including debt-equity swaps, share pledge enforcements, and insolvency plan proceedings
- Investors on the acquisition of distressed companies and on restructuring, rescue financing, or refinancing transactions, including debt-equity swaps
- Insolvency administrators on M&A, restructurings, or disputes
- Complementing his transactional work, he also represents parties in claw-back and liability cases
Mr. Grell is a board member of TMA Germany e.V. and of Norddeutsches Insolvenzforum e.V. (Insolvency Forum of Northern Germany).
He regularly speaks and writes about insolvency and restructuring matters.
Accolades and Rankings
Mr. Grell has earned widespread recognition for his work, including:
- Chambers Europe Germany 2021 - Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency
- The Legal 500 Germany 2021 as "leading name for Restructuring"
- JUVE 2020/2021 for Restructuring and Insolvency as well as Corporate Law
- IFLR1000 2021 for Restructuring in Germany
- The Legal 500 Hall of Fame
- Handelsblatt Best Lawyers 2020 for Restructuring and Insolvency
- Chambers Europe Germany 2019 as a “leading figure of his generation” for Restructuring/Insolvency
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2019 for Restructuring
Mr. Grell’s experience includes advising:
Companies
- German-based recycling group
- Thomas Cook in restructuring
Creditors
- Agent/Security Agent in the protective shield proceedings and subsequent sale of the Neumayer Tekfor Group
- Bank consortium in restructuring of Tom Tailor
- HayFin as majority lender in connection with the restructuring of A.T.U
- Senior lenders in the insolvency and sale of DruckChemie Group
- UniCredit as agent/security agent in the loan-to-own restructuring of Klöckner Pentaplast Group
Investors
- Anchorage and Goldman Sachs on the investment in Stabilus
- Carlyle in the acquisition and restructuring of Klenk Holz as well as in the insolvency of Kettler
- H.I.G. Europe and Anchorage as investors in the debt to control restructuring, protective shield/insolvency plan proceedings, and sale of walter services group
- Private equity investors on the intended acquisitions of MIFA Mitteldeutsche Fahrradwerke AG, Scherer & Trier, and Weltbild
- Strategic bidder Chiho-Tiande Group in the acquisition of Scholz Group, acquiring the target by way of a debt-to-equity swap out-of-court
Insolvency Administrators
- Administrator of Air Berlin on its claims against shareholder Etihad
- Administrator of Schneider Versand / creatrade on sale to Klingel