O'Melveny announced that three highly ranked restructuring lawyers, Nancy A. Mitchell, Maria J. DiConza, and Matthew Hinker, will join its Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice, based in New York.
Mitchell, DiConza, and Hinker will arrive from the New York office of Greenberg Traurig, where they have been representing debtors, municipalities, acquirers, and creditors in complex distressed situations that require creative and sophisticated financial solutions.
Mitchell, who will join as a partner on July 2, was co-chair of Greenberg Traurig's Global Restructuring & Bankruptcy practice and a co-managing shareholder for its New York office. Earlier, she served as Executive Director of CIBC World Markets Corp.'s restructuring/leveraged finance team. She has more than 30 years of experience advising debtors in complex corporate restructurings and private equity funds in distressed M&A transactions, and has considerable experience in municipal and tax-exempt restructurings.
Recently named one of the "Leading Women Lawyers in New York City" by Crain's New York Business, Mitchell has accumulated an extensive list of professional accolades. She has been recognized consistently by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 United States, and Leading Lawyers Network. Mitchell has also been member of the winning team of ACG New York Champion's Awards, Global M&A Network's Turnaround Atlas Awards, M&A Advisor Awards, and M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards.
DiConza, who will arrive at O'Melveny on July 9 as a partner, was a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig. She brings more than 20 years of diverse bankruptcy experience in complex financial restructuring and debtor and lender/creditor representations across industries including food services, municipal, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, financial services, and for-profit education. Hinker, who will join O'Melveny as a counsel on July 9, focuses his practice on complex Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, adversary proceeding litigation, and other insolvency-related matters.
"It's my pleasure to welcome Nancy, Maria, and Matthew to the firm," said O'Melveny Chair Bradley J. Butwin. "They bring great skill, energy, and leadership to their client work. Very importantly, their goals align with ours: making O'Melveny a restructuring powerhouse that serves the needs of corporate and government clients, including municipal, private equity, and investment fund entities."
At their prior firm, all three lawyers advised on restructuring the debt of Puerto Rico's electricity and water utilities. O'Melveny advises the Government of Puerto Rico in all aspects of the restructuring of its more than US$120 billion in debt obligations, the largest in-court restructuring in US history.
"We have known Nancy, Maria, and Matt for many years, and we have been deeply impressed by their exceptional work," added John Rapisardi, Chair of O'Melveny's Global Restructuring Practice. "They have consistently brought innovative thinking and fresh approaches to the complex challenges faced by our shared clients. They will be great assets to O'Melveny and our clients."
"O'Melveny's platform is well known for its depth, breadth and great teamwork," said Mitchell. "We all share a deeply client-focused approach, and the opportunity we all saw to create a strong and diverse group and better serve our shared clients was one we couldn't pass up. We're very pleased to open a new chapter at O'Melveny."
Mitchell earned her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan, where she contributed to the Michigan Law Review. She earned her bachelor's degree from Indiana University, Bloomington.
DiConza earned her law degree, magna cum laude, from St. John's University, where she was an articles and notes editor of the St. John's Law Review. She earned her bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary.
Hinker earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Maryland School of Law. He earned his bachelor's degree from Villanova University.