Thought Leaders

Kelley Cornish is a partner in the restructuring department. Kelley represents the full range of participants in bankruptcy cases and corporate restructurings – debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, official and unofficial committees, and acquirors of distressed assets. She also has substantial experience in complex commercial litigation, including bankruptcy-related litigation involving fraudulent transfers, preferences and equitable subordination. Kelley’s recent debtor company representations include Bumble Bee Foods, Jack Cooper Ventures, Triangle Petroleum, Sears, The Bon-Ton Stores, Performance Sports Group, Foresight Energy, Walter Energy and AbitibiBowater (now known as Resolute Forest Products). Kelley also has extensive creditor-side experience, including representing ad hoc groups in the restructurings of Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Company, Allen Systems Group and Winn-Dixie, and strategic creditors to the City of Detroit and Howrey LLP.

Kelley was named the 2017 Woman of the Year in Restructuring by the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation, the premier international networking and professional growth organisation for women in the restructuring and insolvency industry. The M&A Advisor recently selected the restructuring of BPS US Holdings and its debtor affiliates (the Performance Sports Group restructuring) as its Restructuring of the Year ($500 million–$1 billion) at its 10th annual International M&A Awards. Kelley was recently honoured by the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) with its 2018 Transaction of the Year: Large Company award for her work on Performance Sports Group’s Chapter 11 case. Kelley has been recognised as a Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group and is consistently listed among her peers by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, The Best Lawyers in America, IFLR1000 and Who’s Who Legal as a leading bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer. Clients praise Kelley as “someone you want on your side when the stakes are high”, describing her as “tough, practical and good at seeing the macro issues” in a case. Her Justice, a nonprofit organisation that provides free legal help to women living in poverty in New York City, named Kelley as its 2018 Woman of the Year in Restructuring. She is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and speaks frequently at industry events.