Corporate restructuring and bankruptcy

Our corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice—which includes restructurings both within and outside of Chapter 11 protection—has advised on some of the largest and most complex restructurings in corporate history. Working with management and external legal and financial advisors, we develop and implement effective communications programs that help stabilize companies during uncertain times.

Communications during Chapter 11 proceedings requires specialized knowledge and expertise. Our deep familiarity with the technical legal process and historical precedents of corporate cases allows us to anticipate potential public issues and develop sophisticated communications programs to manage them.

And the critical final stage of Chapter 11—post-emergence communications—is often the most poorly planned. Emergence from bankruptcy is an event that puts the company in the public spotlight and it offers one of the rare opportunities for the company to redefine its identity and the public’s view of management.

Successful post-emergence efforts begin in the weeks leading up to the confirmation of the Plan of Reorganization and continue through the first full fiscal year, where the demands on the investor relations professionals are complicated by Fresh Start accounting and a lack of comparable year-over-year financial results.

Of course, not all restructurings occur under court protection. Our work with companies restructuring outside of bankruptcy is built on our core foundation of Corporate Restructuring and Bankruptcy investor relations and corporate media relations, modified to match the special time constraints and communications needs of companies undergoing reorganization.

In a variety of major assignments—for airlines, retailers, manufacturers, telecommunications companies and many others—our team of professionals has helped companies in financial distress minimize disruptions to their businesses by ensuring that customers have the confidence to order, suppliers the confidence to ship and employees the motivation to continue to work productively.

The media play an important role in conveying the message critical to all successful corporate restructuring initiatives. We design media relations strategies that anticipate and correct the misperceptions uniquely associated with financial uncertainty.

Properly executed, these plans can help maximize the window of time within which management and its advisors can successfully address the issues fundamental to sustained recovery.