NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DLA Piper announced today that Gregg Galardi, formerly a senior partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom LLP, will join the firm as partner and co-chair of the Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group, resident in the New York office. Galardi, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading bankruptcy practitioners and has more than 20 years of experience representing borrowers and debtors in sophisticated and high-profile bankruptcies across multiple jurisdictions.

“Gregg is an ideal addition to our talented restructuring team, said Roger Meltzer, Global Chair of DLA Piper’s Corporate and Finance Practice. “His highly-regarded work on some of the most complex bankruptcy filings in recent years make him a tremendous asset to the firm and our clients, both here in the US and abroad.”

Galardi’s arrival comes shortly after an influx of several other high profile bankruptcy partners to DLA Piper this year. In April, Craig Rasile and Andrew Zaron joined in the Miami office. Stuart Brown came on board as managing partner of the firm’s Wilmington office, which opened in March. In February, a team of five partners, led by Richard A. Chesley, joined the practice in Chicago. The additions are part of the firm’s strategy to further enhance its global transactional practice areas.

“As a leader in the international restructuring space, Gregg will be instrumental in meeting the short and long-term needs of companies, as distressed opportunities arise,” said Sir Nigel Knowles, joint Chief Executive Officer of DLA Piper. “Gregg’s experience will also help our private equity and hedge fund clients identify opportunities for distressed asset acquisitions.”

At Skadden, Galardi represented a wide variety of industries in high-profile workouts and traditional Chapter 11 cases. Notable client representations include serving as counsel for: CIT Group, Inc. in its prepackaged Chapter 11 case (the fifth-largest bankruptcy of all time, and the largest prepackaged bankruptcy to date); Sportsman’s Warehouse, Inc., HealthSouth Corporation, Circuit City Stores, Inc., Plastech Engineered Products, and Polaroid Corporation. Galardi also represents financial institutions, private equity and hedge funds, international corporations, litigants and significant creditors.

Galardi is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and has been cited on numerous occasions for his leading role in major restructurings. He has been recognized by Turnaround & Workout’s top restructuring lawyers in 2009; Best Lawyers in America, Euromoney, Legal Media Group’s 2009 Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers and The International Who’s Who of Legal Professionals.

“I am thrilled to join DLA’s preeminent restructuring team, and I look forward to working together in continuing to build a practice that complements the firm’s global transactional footprint,” said Galardi.

Galardi received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude, where he participated in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review; a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania; an M.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania; and a B.A., also from the University of Pennsylvania, cum laude and honors. He is admitted to practice in Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia.

About DLA Piper’s Restructuring Practice

DLA Piper’s Restructuring practice has been involved in some of the largest, most intricate and most time-critical cases in recent history. It serves an exceptionally diverse client base encompassing debtors, creditor committees, governmental entities, indenture trustees, senior, mezzanine and second lien lenders, hedge funds, shareholders, directors, and distressed debt and asset buyers and investors. The group handles restructurings across an array of industries with particular strength in real estate, energy, hospitality, sports, transportation, health care and retail.

About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com)

DLA Piper has 4,200 lawyers in 30 countries and 76 offices throughout the US, UK, Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. In certain jurisdictions, this information may be considered attorney advertising.

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