Akin Gump announced the addition of a four-partner financial restructuring and global debt finance team. Thomas F. O’Connor, Renée M. Dailey, Christopher E. Lawrence and Chester L. (“Chip”) Fisher all joined Akin Gump from Morgan Lewis. Mr. O’Connor will reside in Akin Gump’s London office, while Dailey, Fisher and Lawrence will launch the firm’s new Hartford, Connecticut office.

The team focuses on the institutional debt private placement market across the globe, with a practice encompassing a wide range of private placement financing transactions and financial restructuring matters. Their arrival significantly enhances the firm’s capabilities and strengths advising institutional private placement investors on financings and restructurings worldwide, and reunites former colleagues who have significant experience in representing the institutional investor market in all aspects of their investments.

“The addition of these four outstanding lawyers is a fantastic opportunity for us to extend our reach in the areas of financial restructuring and ‘new money’ finance transactions,” said Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith. “With deep ties in the insurance sector as well as among other institutional private placement investors in the U.S., Europe and Australia, Tom, Renée, Chris and Chip will enable us to grow and expand our work for clients in these spaces. I could not be happier to welcome them to Akin Gump.”

On the front-end finance side, the team represents institutional investors in a wide variety of private placement debt and equity financings, ranging from investment-grade unsecured note placements to secured structured financings to below-investment-grade mezzanine and acquisition financings.

The incoming team’s financial restructuring practice primarily represents private placement noteholders from the institutional private placement community in complex financial restructuring and amendment and modification transactions.

Added Daniel Golden, co-chair of Akin Gump’s global financial restructuring practice, “This team will be a strong complement to our existing capabilities across the firm. Renée’s restructuring work, combined with Chris and Chip’s financing experience in the United States and Tom’s in Europe and Australia, presents significant opportunities for us. These are smart, savvy, client-focused lawyers who are leaders in the market.”

“Having worked so closely together in the past, I am pleased to once again call these individuals my colleagues,” said London partner Barry Russell. “I am confident that their joining us will pay dividends to the firm and to the clients we serve each day. Tom’s front-end financing practice in London greatly augments the institutional investor practice in the London office.”

Tom O’Connor echoed Mr. Russell: “It’s great to put the institutional finance team back together. This combination will enable us to work with our clients on all aspects of their investment transactions across all jurisdictions.”

“As a group, we are delighted to be at Akin Gump,” said Renée Dailey. “Its restructuring and debt finance practices are well known for their top-tier work with sophisticated clientele, and its global platform and talent mix are ideal fits for our practice and the clients we serve.”