Richard F. Hahn is a retired partner and Co-Head of the firm’s Business Restructuring & Workouts Group. He regularly represented debtors, creditors, investors and other parties in workouts, prepackaged bankruptcies and Chapter 11 proceedings. Chambers USA (2017) recognized him as a leading lawyer in his field, and noted that he is praised for his “skillfulness on all fronts in managing a process and being strategic and tactical” and for the “depth and breadth of his experience in bankruptcy and restructuring work.” Mr. Hahn was also recommended by Chambers Global (2017) for offering “outstanding bankruptcy counsel” and by The Legal 500 US (2017), where clients described him as an “excellent advocate and deal doer” and as having an “outstanding grasp of the issues, judgment, diplomacy and communication skills.” IFLR1000 (2017) ranked Mr. Hahn as a leading bankruptcy lawyer.
Mr. Hahn is co-author of Collier Business Workout Guide (Matthew Bender, 2010). His articles include “Litigating Make–Whole Premiums in Bankruptcy,” New York Law Journal (September, 2014), “Fifth Circuit Provides a Reminder that Language Providing for a Prepayment Premium Must Be Unambiguous,” The Banking Law Journal (May, 2014), “Second Circuit Limits Availability Of Chapter 15,” Harvard Law School Bankruptcy Roundtable (April, 2014) and “Second Circuit Limits Availability of Chapter 15,” The American Bar Association International Law Section’s Secured Transactions & Insolvency Committee Newsletter (January, 2014). In addition, Mr. Hahn is a contributing author of Collier Guide to Chapter 11: Key Topics and Selected Industries (Matthew Bender 2010), The Private Equity Primer: The Best of the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report and the Debevoise & Plimpton Private Equity Report. Mr. Hahn was a fellow of the American College of Investment Counsel and has lectured at the American Bar Association, the Practising Law Institute, the American College of Investment Counsel and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Mr. Hahn was a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York’s Committee on Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization, the American Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Mr. Hahn joined Debevoise in 1984 and became a partner in 1991. He received both an A.B. in 1978 and an M.A. in 1980 from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 1983, where he was managing editor of the Columbia Law Review. From 1983 to 1984, Mr. Hahn served as a law clerk to the Hon. William A. Norris, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Experience:
- Debtor Representations
- American Seafoods, one of the largest seafood companies in North America and one of the largest harvesters of fish in the world, in the successful out-of-court refinancing and restructuring of nearly $1 billion in aggregate funded debt.
- CHC Group, one of the largest global commercial helicopter service companies in the world, as aircraft counsel in its Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, in which CHC successfully restructured more than $2 billion in indebtedness. Debevoise was named joint winners of “Restructuring Deal of the Year (Over $1B to $5B)” at the 12th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards for this representation.
- American Airlines and AMR, as special aircraft counsel, in their successful Chapter 11 proceedings involving the restructuring of complex financing arrangements relating to more than 400 aircraft generating savings in excess of $1.8 billion and to the raising of more than $9 billion of new financing through various capital markets, syndicated lending and other financing transactions. This restructuring was honored by Turnarounds & Workouts as one of a dozen “Successful Restructurings – 2013.”
- Oriental Trading Company in its successful pre-arranged Chapter 11 reorganization.
- Delta Air Lines and Comair, as special aircraft counsel, in their successful Chapter 11 proceedings, involving the refinancing of more than 275 aircraft via new debt or lease arrangements, the return or other disposition of more than 140 aircraft, the elimination of four aircraft types from Delta’s fleet and the litigation of substantial aircraft financing claims.
- Pillowtex Corporation in its court-supervised $121 million “Section 363 sale” of assets while in Chapter 11.
- Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, one of the few steel companies to reorganize successfully on a stand-alone basis, in its Chapter 11 cases. Litigation work included a successful trial of declaratory judgment claims relating to the interpretation of a Coal Supply Agreement.
- DecisionOne Corporation in its prepackaged Chapter 11 proceeding.
- Dyersburg Corporation, a textile manufacturer, in its Chapter 11 liquidation.
- Forstmann & Company, a textile manufacturer, in its Chapter 11 reorganization.
- Homeland Stores, a supermarket chain, in its out-of-court restructuring.
- The Gitano Group, a major apparel company, in its out-of-court restructuring and subsequent Section 363 sale to Fruit of the Loom.
- Creditor Representations
- Oaktree Capital Management in the Chapter 11 proceedings of Energy Future Holdings and its subsidiaries. With over $49 billion in debt, EFH is the largest leveraged buyout ever to file for bankruptcy.
- Syncora Holdings, as insurer of power revenue bonds issued by PREPA, Puerto Rico’s troubled electric utility, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in connection with the ongoing highly-publicized and complex restructuring negotiations relating to PREPA’s and the Commonwealth’s extensive funded debt.
- GoldenTree Asset Management and various funds under its management in the out-of-court restructuring and corporate reorganization of Source Home Entertainment.
- Ad hoc committee of bondholders of Energy Future Holdings in its exchange offers and consent solicitations related to the out-of-court restructuring of more than $12 billion in debt.
- Bondholders of Laidlaw in dual insolvency proceedings in the US and Canada.
- LG Electronics as the principal creditor of Zenith Electronics in Zenith’s prepackaged Chapter 11 reorganization.
- MBIA in the out-of-court restructuring of American Forest Resources.
- XL Capital Assurance in the Chapter 11 reorganization of NRG Energy.
- Distressed M&A
- Standard General, as a significant creditor and equityholder in the Chapter 11 case of General Wireless, which is the successor in interest to RadioShack. The firm previously represented Standard General, as debtor-in-possession lender and successful stalking horse bidder, in the 2015 Chapter 11 case of RadioShack Corporation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
- Najafi Companies in its $435 million bid to acquire the assets of Borders Group in a Section 363 sale.
- Justice Gary S. Stein, as trustee and conservator of the Tropicana Atlantic City, in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding of Tropicana Entertainment LLC and the sale of the Atlantic City casino.
- Verizon Communications in the Chapter 11 sale of Genuity.
- Pegasus Communications Corporation in the Chapter 11 sale of Pegasus Satellite Communications.
- Grant Forest Products the sale of assets to Georgia-Pacific for $400 million through simultaneous CCAA proceedings in Canada and Chapter 15 proceedings in the US.
Education:
- Columbia Law School, 1983, J.D.
- Harvard University, 1980, M.A.
- Harvard University, 1978, A.B.
Bar Admissions:
- New York
Cost
Rate : $$$
