Joanna McDonald

Joanna is counsel in Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP’s Restructuring Group in New York, where she represents debtors, ad hoc creditor groups, banks, hedge funds and other strategic parties in a wide range of domestic bankruptcy cases, out-of-court workouts, liability-management transactions and complex, cross-border restructurings. Her career highlights include representing ad hoc groups of holders of asset-backed securities in Tricolor’s chapter 7 cases and Sunnova’s chapter 11 cases; Instant Brands (n/k/a/ Corelle Brands) in its chapter 11 cases; and Brazilian offshore oil field services provider Ocyan S.A. and Chinese coffee retailer Luckin Coffee in their respective global restructurings.

Joanna was named one of INSOL International’s “Future Forty” in 2022. She served as a longstanding member of the Tina’s Wish NextGen NYC Committee, which has provided networking opportunities for the restructuring community while raising funds to develop an early detection test for ovarian cancer. She was among the speakers at the May 2024 Global Restructuring Conference hosted by the International Finance Corporation, where she discussed liability-management transactions in a session titled, “Innovation in Restructuring – Lender on Lender Tension.” She also has co-authored articles on a variety of restructuring topics and has spoken on panels for INSOL International and the Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

Joanna was home-schooled until high school. After her undergraduate education, she spent two years working as a global banking paralegal for Deutsche Bank. During that time, she had her first taste of restructuring work and was instantly intrigued. Shortly after starting law school, she interned at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida and went on to pursue a career in bankruptcy law. Within her firm, she is a member of its 2024 Pro Bono Honor Roll, the Davis Polk Women Steering Committee and the Cross-Border Business Development Task Force. She is active in recruiting, mentoring and associate training, and has a longstanding commitment to promote and support women at her firm and in her field. Outside of the office, she was a soprano in the New York City Bar Chorus. She also serves as a mentor to law students at her alma mater, The University of Texas School of Law, by meeting throughout the summers to discuss their career aspirations and provide advice for starting one’s legal practice on strong footing.