Brian Bolin

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Brian Bolin

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York, NY

BRIAN is a partner in the Restructuring Department of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and represents creditors, debtors, sponsors and distressed investors in a wide range of insolvency matters, including chapter 11 cases, out-of-court workouts, bankruptcy sales and cross-border restructurings. As deputy chair of the firm’s Hybrid Capital & Special Situations Group, he specializes in advising borrowers, lenders and sponsors on distressed financing transactions, including liability-management transactions, distressed investments, rescue financings, DIP financings, exit financings and direct-lending transactions. Previously, he was an associate with Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and an analyst with Cornerstone Research.

Brian has led and co-led successful engagements in many complex restructuring and distressed financing matters, including representing Revlon in its chapter 11 case, trimming $2.7 billion in debt; lenders of Avaya in its prepackaged chapter 11 case, reducing debt from $3.4 billion to $800 million; KKR as a sponsor to Envision Healthcare in roughly $7.3 billion of liability management transactions; a creditor group in the restructuring of Digicel’s $5.5 billion of debt; Centerbridge and Oaktree in a $1.25 billion rescue loan to OTG; lenders of Ligado Networks in its out-of-court restructuring of $14 billion of liabilities; Pioneer Energy in its prepackaged chapter 11 cases; noteholders of Carlson Travel in a rare one-day prepack — one of the fastest-ever cross-border plan approvals; and SPARC Group in its bankruptcy acquisitions of Brooks Brothers and Lucky Brand. He also co-authors the annual “Investment Fund Activity in Chapter 11” chapter in Americas Restructuring Review, published by Global Restructuring Review. In 2023, he was named an “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer by Turnarounds & Workouts, and in 2022, his work on the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of Carlson Travel was awarded the “Pre-Pack Restructuring (Large)” award by The Turnaround Atlas Awards.

A dedicated mentor to junior colleagues, Brian encourages associates at his firm to consider how an individual assignment fits into the client’s larger strategy, and how they can proactively help the team achieve the client’s goals. In 2021, he received the Paul, Weiss Teaching Award, which is awarded by firm associates for excellence in mentorship

Education

  • J.D. MAGNA CUM LAUDE , NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
  • B.A., WITH HIGH HONORS, GOVERNMENT AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS , UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

“[T]oday’s elite restructuring lawyers must possess the knowledge, expertise and creativity to conceive of, structure and implement various forms of out-of-court restructurings … in addition to having all of the necessary chapter 11 know-how…. Brian possesses all of this in spades.”