Joe Acosta and Samuel Kohn have joined Dorsey & Whitney LLP’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice as partners in the firm’s Dallas and New York offices, respectively. Acosta has a broad base of bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, workout, and commercial litigation experience. Formerly with Jones Day and most recently with FisherBroyles in Dallas, he has been involved in some of the largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in the United States. Kohn has more than 20 years of experience in restructuring and insolvency and practices in the area of business reorganizations, including complex Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. In addition to his expertise in municipal restructurings, Kohn represents large corporate debtors, creditors’ committees, secured lenders, distressed asset acquirers, and investment funds and banks.
Kevin Barrentine has joined FTI Consulting as a senior managing director in the firm’s Turnaround & Restructuring practice. Based in Atlanta, he has more than 30 years of experience in restructuring and performance improvement for underperforming or distressed businesses. Barrentine has served as CRO for leading industrial companies and as financial advisor to debtors and senior lenders, and has advised on numerous engagements for operational diligence and post-close transformation, primarily in the distressed M&A segment. He most recently was a senior managing director at Conway MacKenzie Inc.
George Howard has joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner in the firm's Restructuring & Reorganization practice. He represents companies, banks, secured lenders, distressed debt investors, asset purchasers, and other significant constituencies in distressed situations, with an emphasis on out-of-court restructurings, Chapter 11 reorganizations, secured financing transactions, distressed M&A, and cross-border insolvency proceedings. Howard is based in the firm's New York office. He was most recently with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.
Robert Mercer has launched a bankruptcy and insolvency boutique law firm, Mercer Law LLC, in Atlanta. The firm serves clients in a range of industries nationwide. Clients will include post-confirmation trustees, receivers, assignees for the benefit of creditors, lenders, borrowers, professionals, licensors and licensees of intellectual property, landlords, trade creditors, directors and officers, and purchasers of distressed businesses. Mercer also works with personal injury plaintiffs’ lawyers whose clients assert large claims against insolvent entities and represents fiduciaries on a contingency-fee basis in high-stakes bankruptcy and insolvency litigation. The firm does not represent national banks because of constraints often imposed by national bank conflicts of interest.
Nicholas Miller has joined the Chicago office of McDonald Hopkins LLC as a member in the firm’s Business Restructuring Department. He has more than 20 years of restructuring experience and has been certified as a Business Bankruptcy Specialist by the American Board of Certification since 2008. Most of his engagements involve actual or contemplated Chapter 11
bankruptcy proceedings. He works with both debtor and creditor clients whose assets or recoveries have been threatened by financial distress, including troubled businesses and their secured and unsecured creditors. Miller’s clients also include distressed investors and asset purchasers.
John Sparacino has joined McKool Smith as a principal in the firm’s Houston office. Sparacino focuses on bankruptcy and related matters, including litigation, receiverships, and out-of-court restructurings. He has more than 30 years of experience handling bankruptcy matters throughout Texas and across the United States and spanning multiple industries, including energy, oil and gas, financial services, technology, and healthcare..
