Brad Kahn

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Brad Kahn

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, New York

BRAD is a partner in the financial restructuring practice at Akin Gump, where he represents companies, creditors’ committees and ad hoc groups, investors, funds and major lenders in out-of-court restructurings and in-court proceedings, including multijurisdictional and cross-border matters. His experience spans a broad spectrum of industries, including energy, telecommunications, financial services, transportation, technology and media. He is recognized as a “Recommended” restructuring lawyer by Legal 500 (2022), an “Outstanding Young Bankruptcy Lawyer” by Turnarounds & Workouts (2019) and a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2016-2018). His involvement in numerous high-profile restructurings includes his recent work on Talen Energy, Intelsat, Nordic Aviation Capital and FirstEnergy Solutions, and he is deeply involved in examining the treatment of cryptocurrency in bankruptcy.

As a new lawyer, Brad first explored securities law and litigation before finding a home in the restructuring practice. The turning point was his first assignment, where he represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 restructuring of more than $28 billion in debt of Delta Air Lines, one of the largest in U.S. history. He was introduced to the world he wanted: a tight-knit and collegial legal community working on matters that affected thousands of lives, and where no day is like the next. He appreciated the direct client exposure, the need for exceptional imagination to devise complex solutions that mattered to everyday lives, and the extraordinary camaraderie he experiences as a member of Akin Gump’s restructuring team.

Brad was a member of the New York office’s Hiring Committee from 2012-20, and today is an assigning partner for the firm’s summer associates. He was a key driver in the establishment of Akin Gump’s Financial Restructuring Diversity Scholars program (FRDS), which gives law students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to join the firm’s summer associate program after their first year of law school and to receive direct mentorship from the firm’s restructuring lawyers. The program’s scholars are automatically offered spots in the following year’s summer associate class. On deals, junior lawyers have cited him as a standout mentor, happy to go through a page-by-page turn of a document while explaining the strategy behind it. Outside of his mentorship focus, as a father of two girls he is passionate about women’s rights and voting rights, and he volunteers with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.

Education

  • J.D., NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
  • B.A., YALE UNIVERSITY

“Outstanding restructuring lawyers possess a rare combination of skills: exceptional intellect, the imagination to see five steps ahead, creativity, a character that engenders credibility, and a commitment to the restructuring industry. Brad is one of those rare lawyers.”