Jessica C. Lauria (formerly Boelter)
Biography
Overview
Jessica Lauria is a partner in the Firm's Financial Restructuring and Insolvency Practice based in the New York office. Jessica represents clients in a wide variety of in court and out of court restructuring matters. Her work includes providing advice on complex questions relating to governance in the corporate restructuring context as well as, among other things, analysis, strategic advice and negotiation of all aspects of corporate restructurings including debtor-in-possession financing arrangements, cash collateral usage and exit financing facilities; formulation of legal and financial strategies for negotiating and implementing plans of reorganization; negotiating debt and equity documents for reorganized companies; strategic advice and negotiation of sale documents and pleadings in connection with section 363 and other complex asset sales; strategic planning for debt restructuring alternatives and chapter 11 filings; preparing debtors for chapter 11 filings and structuring exit strategies for chapter 11 proceedings. Jessica also has extensive experience representing clients in connection with mass tort chapter 11 proceedings.
Twin Cities
Experience
Boy Scouts of America
Lead restructuring counsel for the Boy Scouts of America in connection with the historic non-profit's chapter 11 proceedings. Provides strategic advice to the Boy Scouts related to all aspects of the Boy Scouts' legal and financial restructuring.
LTL Management
Lead restructuring counsel to Johnson & Johnson in connection with the chapter 11 case of LTL Management.
Aearo Technologies
Lead restructuring counsel to 3M Company in connection with the chapter 11 case of Aearo Technologies.
New Residential Investment Corp./Ditech Holding Corporation
Lead counsel to New Residential Investment Corp., a publicly traded REIT, in a highly complex $1.2 billion acquisition of the forward mortgage servicing business of Ditech Holding Corporation.
Takata Corporation
Lead restructuring counsel for a major original equipment manufacturer in connection with the high-profile and complex US bankruptcy cases of Takata, a related adversary proceeding and underlying litigation involving Takata and defective Takata inflators. Takata was the subject of a multitude of civil and criminal actions in the US (and abroad) as a consequence of its distribution of defective automobile safety airbag inflators. In connection with Takata's bankruptcy proceedings, Jessica successfully obtained an unprecedented injunction that channels all current and future personal injury and wrongful death claims against participating automobile manufacturers arising from Takata's defective inflators to a trust for the purpose of processing and making payment on the claims.
UCI International LLC
Lead counsel to UCI and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 proceedings, which resulted in the successful reorganization of over US$450 million of funded debt. UCI is among North America's largest and most diversified companies servicing the vehicle replacement parts market. The UCI restructuring received the Large Turnaround of the Year Award for 2017 from the Turnaround Management Association.
Atna Resources Inc.
Lead counsel to prepetition lender, DIP lender and successful purchaser in section 363 sale of Atna's most significant mining assets.
Santa Fe Gold Corp.
Lead counsel to prepetition lender, DIP lender and successful stalking horse purchaser in section 363 sale of substantially all of Santa Fe's assets, including its gold and silver mine and exploration properties.
Midway Gold US Inc.
Lead counsel to purchaser in section 363 sale of Midway's interest in the Spring Valley joint venture exploration and development project.
Murray Holdings Limited
Lead U.S. counsel to the foreign representative in the chapter 15 proceeding of Murray Holdings Limited, which resulted in the US Bankruptcy Court's recognition of Murray's Isle of Man insolvency proceeding as a foreign main proceeding and the recognition and enforcement of Murray's Isle of Man scheme of arrangement in the US.
Allied Nevada Gold Corp.
Lead counsel to successful stalking horse purchaser in section 363 sale of Allied Nevada Gold Corp.'s exploration properties.
LDK Solar Co., Ltd.
Lead U.S. counsel to LDK Solar Co., Ltd. in its chapter 15 proceeding and LDK's US affiliates in their chapter 11 proceedings, which included recognition in the US of LDK's successful scheme of arrangement and confirmation of the US affiliates' chapter 11 prepackaged plan of reorganization. LDK is a leading vertically integrated manufacturer of photovoltaic products. The LDK restructuring has received national and international recognition, including as "Finance Deal of the Year: Insolvency and Restructuring" by The Asian Lawyer (sister publication to The American Lawyer), " US – Asia Deal of the Year" by The M&A Advisor, one of Turnaround & Workouts "Successful Restructurings" for 2014, and "Turnaround of the Year – Large Mid Market" by Turnaround Atlas Awards.
Rodeo Creek Gold, Inc.
Lead counsel to Rodeo Creek Gold, Inc. and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 proceedings, including the successful sale of the debtors' assets pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. Rodeo Creek was part of an international mining company engaged in the exploration, development and operation of high-quality gold properties.
Tribune Company
Representation of Tribune Company and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 proceedings, involving approximately US$13 billion in total funded debt. Tribune Company is a leading media and entertainment company reaching more than eighty percent of households in the United States through its newspapers, other publications and websites, television and radio stations and other news and entertainment offerings.
Pliant Corporation
Representation of Pliant Corporation and its affiliated debtors in their 2006 and 2009 chapter 11 proceedings, involving in excess of US$1.2 billion and US$1.0 billion of indebtedness, respectively. Pliant was among North America's leading manufacturers of value-added films and flexible packaging for food, personal care, medical, agricultural and industrial applications.
Federal-Mogul Corporation
Representation of Federal-Mogul Corporation and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 proceedings, involving funded debt in excess of US$4 billion, asbestos liabilities estimated in excess of US$9 billion and U.K. pension liabilities estimated by U.K. pension authorities to be in excess of US$2 billion. Federal-Mogul is a publicly traded corporation that manufactures vehicle parts for OEMs and after-market customers in the automotive, small engine, heavy-duty and industrial markets throughout the world.
Hilex Poly Co. LLC
Representation of Hilex Poly Co. LLC in its successful prepackaged chapter 11 proceeding. Hilex Poly Co. LLC is a leading manufacturer of plastic bags.
Pegasus Satellite Television, Inc.
Representation of Pegasus Satellite Television, Inc. and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 proceedings. Pegasus was the largest independent distributor of DIRECTV services and ultimately sold its direct satellite business to DIRECTV during the chapter 11 cases in a section 363 sale.
Heartland Publications, LLC
Representation of agent for prepetition senior, secured credit facility in prenegotiated chapter 11 proceeding for Heartland Publications, LLC. Heartland published approximately 50 publications consisting of community newspapers and specialty publications in medium and small sized markets.
Adelphia Communications Corporation
Representation of noteholder group holding claims against Ft. Myers Acquisition Limited Partnership, an indirect subsidiary of Adelphia Communications Corporation, in connection with the chapter 11 proceedings of Adelphia and over 250 of its affiliates.
Malden Mills Industries, Inc.
Representation of agent for DIP facility and prepetition senior secured credit facility in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Malden Mills Industries, Inc. and its affiliates. Malden Mills was the largest manufacturer of performance fabrics in North America, including the Polartec® global brand. Malden Mills' assets were sold during the chapter 11 cases in a section 363 sale.
American Commercial Lines LLC
Representation of the largest bondholder in the chapter 11 proceedings of American Commercial Lines LLC and certain of its affiliates. American Commercial Lines and its affiliates are among the largest providers of barge transportation and ancillary services in the world.
Other Public Engagements
Residential Capital, LLC (client: stalking horse bidder); American Home Mortgage Corporation (client: loan repurchaser); The Flintkote Company (client: debtor); Union Acceptance Corporation (client: portfolio insurer).
"Bankruptcy and Mass Torts" (panelist), Federal Bar Council, New York, NY (November 2022)
"Mass Torts" (panelist), Beard Distressed Investing Conference, New York, NY (November 2022)
"Public Discourse in the Bankruptcy Code" (panelist), National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, Orlando, FL (October 2022)
"Third Party Releases" (panelist), American Bankruptcy Institute Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop (July 2022)
"Mass Torts Evolve: The Intersection of Aggregate Litigation and Bankruptcy" (panelist), The Fordham Law Review Journal Symposium, New York, NY (February 2022)
"A Judgment is Nice, 'Now Where's My Money?' – Turning Judgments into Recovery " (panelist), Canadian Bar Association's 2016 Insolvency Law Conference, Chicago, IL (October 2016)
Board of Directors, American Bankruptcy Institute (2016)
Board Member, American Bankruptcy Institute's Views from the Bench, Washington, D.C. (October 2015, October 2016)
"How to Prepare Corporate and Individual Debtors for Bankruptcy" (panelist), American Bankruptcy Institute's Southwest Conference, Las Vegas, NV (September 2015)
"Onshore/Offshore – Where should the restructuring take place?" (panelist), INSOL International Bermuda Seminar, Hamilton, Bermuda (June 2015)
RISA Technical Update Session (panelist), Cayman Islands (May 2015)
"Getting to Confirmation: How to Draft a Chapter 11 Plan, Disclosure Statement and Related Documents" (panelist), American Bankruptcy Institute's 33rd Annual Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C. (April 2015)
Co-Chair, American Bankruptcy Institute's Mid-Level Professional Development Program, Chicago,IL (November 2014; November 2015)
Co-Chair, American Bankruptcy Institute/Federal Communications Bar Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (April 2014)
"The Life Cycle of a FCC-Regulated Entity in Bankruptcy" (panelist), American Bankruptcy Institute/Federal Communications Bar Association Conference, Washington, D.C. (April 2014)
"What's New in Section 363 Asset Sales " (panelist), American Bankruptcy Institute's 25th Annual Winter Leadership Conference, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (December 2013)
Board Member, American Bankruptcy Institute's Mid-Level Professional Development Program, New York City, NY (2012, 2013)
Quoted In, "UCI Bankruptcy Fight Brews Between Bondholders, Lender," The Wall Street Journal (June 2016)
Quoted In, "Restructuring Professionals Have Some Hope Despite Expected Slow 2015," The Wall Street Journal (January 2015)
Quoted In, "Sidley guides LDK Solar through restructuring," Inside Counsel (December 2014)
Quoted In, "LDK Solar Debt Plans Get US Bankruptcy Court Approval," Bloomberg (November 2014)
Quoted In, "LDK Solar US Units Make Debut in Bankruptcy Court," Daily Bankruptcy Review (October 2014)
Co-author, Fiduciary Duties and the Zone of Insolvency, NACD Directorship (December 2011)
Co-author, Fiduciary duties: Timing considerations in equitizing excess debt, Navigating Today's Environment: The Directors' and Officers' Guide to Restructuring (August 2010)
Chambers USA New York Bankruptcy/Restructuring – Band 3
The Deal's "Top Women in Dealmaking for Restructuring", 2021
Crain's New York Business – Notable Women in Law 2021
Best Lawyers in America 2020-2021
Global Restructuring Review – 40 under 40 list for 2016
Turnarounds & Workouts – Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers, 2015
