Christopher K. Kiplok

Christopher (Chris) Kiplok is Co-Chair of our Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy department, and a member of the Firm's Executive Committee. His practice includes judicial and out-of-court insolvency matters and financial litigation.  He routinely briefs congressional committees, regulators, self-regulatory organizations and industry groups on "too big to fail" insolvencies, cross-border bankruptcies and complex financial litigation.

Named a 2018 Dealmaker of the Year by The American Lawyer for his role as Debtor’s counsel to Republic Airways and as a 2017 Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer by Turnarounds & Workouts, Chris is widely-recognized for the results he and his clients have achieved.  He is further recognized by Chambers and Legal 500 as one of the country's leading lawyers, who comment that he is a “real talent that combines a rare combination of legal, commercial and political instincts” and has a “notable reputation for work on cross-border bankruptcies and out-of-court restructuring assignments.” 

Chris is a co-author of the treatise “Collier on Bankruptcy,” and is a past chair of the New York Bar’s Bankruptcy Committee and the Federal Bar Council’s Bankruptcy Litigation Committee. He is the Court-appointed Trust Administrator of the liquidating trust for Lehman Brothers Inc., serves as Trustee of the Eagle Picher Asbestos Settlement Trust and as a Director of The Claims Processing Facility, Inc. (which together have helped resolve millions of asbestos related claims), and he is the Court-appointed Examiner of the Weiss Master Fund. Chris also serves on a number of not-for-profit and educational boards of directors. 

• In re Minerals Technologies Inc.: Counsel in connection with Chapter 11 filings by subsidiaries Barretts Minerals Inc. and Barretts Ventures Texas LLC in the Southern District of Texas to comprehensively resolve their talc exposure.
• In re DB US Holding Corporation: Advising on potential liabilities arising from former subsidiaries that distributed asbestos and talc products and representing DB US in a mediation conducted in the bankruptcy case of the former subsidiaries, in which asbestos plaintiffs assert that DB US has historical liability.
• In re Republic Airways Holdings Inc.: Debtor's counsel in connection with its $3.6 billion Chapter 11 restructuring.  Chris led a team that:  fully restructured the company’s balance sheet; brokered modified codeshare agreements with partner airlines American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Continental Holdings; streamlined operating aircraft fleet to a single line of Embraer 170 and 175 jets under Republic's air carrier certificate; and returned "out-of-favor" aircraft that did not meet the company's needs.
• In re Imerys Talc America, Inc.: Counsel to Imerys S.A., a French multibillion dollar mining company, in connection with the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of certain of its U.S. talc mining subsidiaries.
• MF Global Inc.: Chris served as principal deputy and chief of staff in the liquidation of MF Global Inc., the largest futures commission merchant ever to fail and among the 10 largest bankruptcies in history. The success of MF Global’s liquidation was recognized by The American Lawyer as the Private Restructuring Global Finance Deal of the Year. As Chief of Staff, Chris coordinated the trustee’s staff of several hundred professionals, advised the trustee on all strategic and legal matters, oversaw the processing and litigation of more than 30,000 claims, and directed cross-border insolvency strategy. All customers and secured and priority creditors received 100 percent distributions, and general creditors received distributions of 95 cents on the dollar.
• Lehman Brothers Inc.: Chris served in the same role in the $120 billion Lehman liquidation, the largest stockbroker ever to fail and part of the largest bankruptcy in history, and is now the court appointed fiduciary overseeing the wind down of that firm’s remaining, legacy assets. In addition to coordinating the trustee’s staff and advising on all strategic and legal decisions, Chris’ recent experience has included negotiating the resolution of more than $100 billion in claims among Lehman affiliates, integrating cross-border insolvency strategy across more than 76 proceedings in 16 jurisdictions around the world, and overseeing dozens of litigations regarding customer and other claims totaling well into the tens of billions of dollars.
• In re Oneweb: Counsel to Airbus Oneweb Satellites LLC, the Florida and France based manufacturer of satellites for the Oneweb enterprise, through its restructuring and as a counterparty and principal supplier to the successful $2 billion chapter 11 Proceeding of Oneweb.
• In re Gawker Media: Counsel to Univision in connection with appellate litigation and resolution of claims related to Gawker Media Chapter 11.
• Morgan Stanley: Counsel to Morgan Stanley with regard to multiple financing, regulatory, and setoff and netting arising from counterparty risk and Too Big To Fail regulatory regimes.
• FIA (Future Industries Association): Counsel to the FIA in connection issues of customer protection related to the US futures markets. 
• In re Dhalion Advisors: Counsel to hedge fund through its successful wind down including use of an interpleader action to resolve an investor’s dispute with a third party. 
• In re iHeartMedia Inc.: Representation of Univision Communications as a leading member of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, which, as a group, holds over $40 billion in intercompany claims.
• In re Sears Holdings Corp.: Counsel to the Honorable J. Douglas Cunningham Q.C., the litigation trustee for Sears Canada Inc., in connection with the cross-border aspects of his claims against ESL Investments.
• In re Gulfmark Offshore Inc.: Counsel to DNB Bank ASA (DNB) as a prepetition lender, debtor-in-possession (DIP) lender, and exit finance lender in connection with the $737 million Chapter 11 bankruptcy of GulfMark Offshore Inc. 
• In re Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Ltd.: Debtor’s counsel to Ultrapetrol, a Bahamian shipper, in an extremely efficient 53-day long pre-packaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy with more than $500 million in liabilities. Ultrapetrol’s restructuring was named Cross-Border Restructuring Deal of the Year by M&A Advisor. 
• In re Excel Maritime: Credit Suisse AG: Navigated the bank as secured creditor, DIP lender and Section 363 purchaser through the billion-dollar restructuring of an international shipping conglomerate.
• In re Takata: Representation of Daicel Corp. as the potential multi-billion dollar 363 purchaser and critical vendor creditor in the cross-border Chapter 11 of Takata. 
• In re M&G USA Corporation: Representation of Banco do Brasil, S.A., as secured lender. 
• In re Doral Financial Corp.: Representation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in its capacity as receiver for Doral Bank and as interested party in the Chapter 11 proceeding of its parent holding corporation.
• In re Worldwide Transportation Services Inc.: Representation of a secured lender, a debtor-in-possession (DIP) lender, and an acquirer of substantial assets pursuant to Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code.
• In re Mosaic Management Corp.: Advising the debtor’s largest creditor, Caja Paraguaya De Jubilaciones Y Pensiones Del Personal De La Itaipu Binacional (CAJUBI) in connection with its various claims and the Chapter 11 restructuring.
• In re Dendreon Corp.: Representation of the chair of the Creditors Committee in the $640 million Chapter 11 restructuring of Dendreon Corp.
• In re NSB Advisors LLC: Representation of the largest creditor in the Chapter 11 restructuring of investment adviser NSB Advisors LLC.
• In re Eagle Picher: Representation of the trustees of a billion-dollar trust established to resolve hundreds of thousands of asbestos personal injury claims.
• In re Longview Power LLC: MUFG Union Bank NA: Representation of the bank as collateral agent and issuer of synthetic letters of credit in the Chapter 11 restructuring of a multibillion-dollar coal power facility.
• In re Spectrawatt: Advised a UK company in the recovery of 100 percent of its advance payments following the failure of a US solar producer.
• In re Lillian Vernon Inc.: Representation of the largest secured creditor and equity holder.
• In re Mirant Corp.: Victory for a party to a swap contract following a trial under Bankruptcy Code safe harbor provisions.
• In re Refco Capital Markets Ltd.: Representation of the largest individual creditor, a Latin American resident, through a month-long trial and conversion to stockbroker liquidation of this Bermuda entity.
• In re Enron Corp.: Defense of Aetna Inc. and affiliates in a billion-dollar commercial paper litigation.
• In re Verestar Inc.: Representation of a Bankruptcy Code Section 363 acquirer through post-closing litigation.
• In re Beacon Hill: Dismissal of a Big Four consulting firm in federal and state court litigation concerning the Cayman Islands insolvency of the Beacon Hill hedge funds.
• Counsel to the trustee in the liquidations of AR Baron & Co. and New Times Securities Services Inc.
• Representation of Big Four accounting firms in cases concerning In re Cendant Corp. Securities Litigation, In re Dictaphone Corp., In re Metlife Securities Litigation, In re Solutia Corp., In re Vivendi Securities Litigation, Stotler Group Inc., National Century Financial Enterprises Inc. and other matters. Defense of witnesses in US Securities and Exchange Commission, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, Department of Justice and independent counsel investigations.
• Pro bono representation of victims of domestic violence, and of Chapter 7, 11 and 13 individual debtors.