Locke Lord Bolsters Restructuring Practice With Addition of New Partners Stephanie Wickouski and Adrienne Walker

(NEW YORK and BOSTON) January 19, 2021 – Locke Lord is pleased to announce a strategic expansion of its Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group, welcoming Stephanie Wickouski and Adrienne Walker as Partners in the Firm’s New York and Boston offices, respectively. Wickouski is a preeminent bankruptcy practitioner and thought leader, known for her representation of indenture trustees, bondholders and financial institutions in complex restructurings, bankruptcies and insolvencies. Walker has developed a strong practice representing trustees and investors in the municipal bond market, which complements her creditors’ rights practice for official and ad hoc committees and trade creditors. Together, the additions of Wickouski and Walker strengthen and deepen Locke Lord’s restructuring team and enhance the Firm’s Debt Finance and Public Finance practices.

“We are excited about these hires,” said Jonathan Young, Co-Chair of Locke Lord’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group and a Partner in the Firm’s Boston office. “Stephanie has built a market-leading practice in the indenture trustee space and puts us in a very strong position to compete for indenture and litigation trustee engagements. Adrienne has an excellent track record handling complex restructurings of public financings, and will have substantial opportunities to collaborate with our Public Finance team. They are talented and entrepreneurial lawyers. They will also be a terrific fit with Locke Lord’s culture of collaboration across offices and practice groups — and we look forward to them working seamlessly with our colleagues in the Debt Finance, Public Finance and Corporate groups.”

Wickouski, who joins from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, is a nationally recognized strategic bankruptcy adviser with more than 35 years of experience and an extraordinarily active practice that includes representing clients in both the litigation and transactional aspects of restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy matters. She focuses on complex indenture trustee matters in both the corporate and public finance areas. Wickouski also advises companies and financial institutions on the insolvency implications of commercial transactions and on credit defaults, including bond, bilateral and syndicated loan defaults as well as disputes under credit facilities and indentures. In addition, Wickouski has authored three books, including “Indenture Trustee Bankruptcy Powers and Duties,” and has been named as one of Turnarounds & Workouts’ Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers. Prior to entering private practice, she was a trial attorney with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Locke Lord’s strategic growth and to increase the breadth and depth of my service to clients — especially in my indenture trustee and litigation engagements — utilizing the Firm’s extensive and established platform,” said Wickouski. “I’m looking forward to joining this dynamic team of lawyers.”

Walker, who joins Locke Lord from Mintz, has deep capabilities advancing creditors' rights and representing debt holders in Chapter 11 and Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcies. She skillfully handles bankruptcy matters, receiverships, and out of court workouts, often representing trustees, bondholders, trade creditors, official and ad-hoc committees, debtors, and strategic and financial buyers of distressed assets. She utilizes her extensive experience in commercial finance to develop and execute sophisticated and creative strategies for private equity investors and participants in complex secured transactions. Walker has a particular focus on the life sciences, health care, retail, senior living and manufacturing industries. Walker is listed in Chambers USA in the Bankruptcy/Restructuring category and is a Director of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Walker is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School and a frequent speaker and writer on numerous topics in the bankruptcy and commercial finance fields.

“Locke Lord has a stellar reputation of providing creative and cutting-edge solutions to maximize recoveries and outcomes for clients in every aspect of a restructuring. I am thrilled to join a firm with such active and established Bankruptcy, Debt Finance and Public Finance practices,” said Walker. “The Firm offers invaluable opportunities for me to expand and strengthen my offerings to clients, particularly in this time of market disruption and financial downturn due to the global pandemic.”

Locke Lord's Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group has broad experience in complex bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructurings, cross-border proceedings and other distress and special situations. The team has been recognized by numerous publications as leaders in the field — most recently for the second year in a row on Global Restructuring Review’s 2020 GRR 100 list, which includes the top firms handling cross-border restructurings and insolvencies and related matters. The team regularly advises premier financial institutions, institutional investors, equity sponsors, portfolio companies, asset purchasers, debt investors, finance companies, insurers and sureties to achieve strategic goals in the context of structured transactions, commercial litigation, loan workouts, debt restructurings and bankruptcy.

###

About Locke Lord LLP
Locke Lord is a full-service law firm with global reach and 20 offices designed to meet clients’ needs in the United States and around the world. The Firm has a history that spans more than 130 years and is a leader in the middle market arena. Locke Lord focuses on providing the highest levels of commitment, quality and service to clients across its five Key Sectors: Energy and Infrastructure; Finance and Financial Services; Insurance and Reinsurance; Pharmaceutical; and Private Equity. In addition, the Firm advises clients across a broad spectrum of other industries, including fund formation, venture capital, health care, public finance, real estate, technology, cybersecurity and white collar, while providing a wealth of experience through its complex litigation, intellectual property, tax, regulatory and transactional teams.