Rankings: Rising Stars

Law360’s Rising Stars profiles the top legal talent under 40. The winners are comprised of top litigators and dealmakers practicing at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys. Submissions highlight the winner’s age and reasons why his or her record deserves attention.
  • April 19, 2012

    Rising Star: Kirkland and Ellis' Adam Paul

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP's Adam Paul has established a name for himself as a tireless and skilled bankruptcy practitioner whose work on complex reorganizations, like representing W.R. Grace & Co. in its asbestos-related Chapter 11 case, has earned him a spot on Law360's list of the top five bankruptcy attorneys under 40.

  • April 18, 2012

    Rising Star: Davis Polk's Elliot Moskowitz

    Whether helping to stave off liquidation for debtors like Frontier Airlines Inc. or guiding financial giants through the bankruptcy fallout from leveraged buyouts gone wrong, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP's Elliot Moskowitz has proven to be a deft negotiator with polished litigation skills, earning him a spot among Law360's top bankruptcy attorneys under 40.

  • April 17, 2012

    Rising Star: Kramer Levin's Douglas Mannal

    Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP's Douglas Mannal has made a name for himself as a tenacious, aggressive bankruptcy practitioner whose work on large reorganizations, like representing investors in the $1 billion restructuring of catalog retailer Appleseed's, has earned him a place on Law360's list of top bankruptcy attorneys under 40.

  • April 16, 2012

    Rising Star: Cadwalader's Peter Friedman

    When power company Dynegy Inc. placed an ailing subsidiary into Chapter 11 in November, creditor U.S. Bank NA had to move quickly to protect its loan investments. The bank reached out to Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP partner Peter M. Friedman, who helped his new client reach a favorable settlement and earned a spot on Law360's list of bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • April 13, 2012

    Rising Star: Dewey & LeBoeuf's Philip Abelson

    Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP partner Philip Abelson's work in huge bankruptcy cases such as Los Angeles Dodgers LLC and NewPage Corp., the largest coated paper manufacturer in North America, has earned him a place among Law360's five rising bankruptcy stars under 40.

  • March 17, 2011

    Rising Star: Kirkland's David Seligman

    David Seligman of Kirkland & Ellis LLP guided Trans World Airlines Inc. and United Air Lines Inc. to steady landings in each of their bankruptcies and has since provided winning restructuring counsel to a slew of big-name domestic and international clients, earning him a spot on Law360's list of five bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 16, 2011

    Rising Star: Brown Rudnick's Gordon Novod

    Brown Rudnick LLP partner Gordon Z. Novod has played a key role in helping creditors achieve good returns from major bankruptcies including those of the Tribune Co. and General Motors Corp., earning him a spot on Law360's list of five bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 15, 2011

    Rising Star: Cadwalader's Peter Friedman

    Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP partner Peter Friedman played a leading role in advising the federal government in the General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC bankruptcies that helped keep the U.S. auto giants afloat and save hundreds of thousands of jobs, earning him a spot on Law360’s list of five bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 14, 2011

    Rising Star: Sidley Austin's Jeffrey Bjork

    Sidley Austin LLP's Jeffrey E. Bjork has brokered innovative resolutions in major restructurings such as those of R.H. Donnelley Corp. and Station Casinos Inc., earning him a spot on Law360's five bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 11, 2011

    Rising Star: Paul Weiss' Alice Eaton

    Alice Eaton's ability to take on wildly diverse clients and handle the biggest, most complex bankruptcy matters that Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP has thrown her way — including the bankruptcies of AbitibiBowater Inc. and CIT Group Inc. — have earned her a place on Law360's list of five bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • April 05, 2010

    CORRECTED: Rising Star: Gibson Dunn's Matthew Williams

    At 38, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's Matthew Williams has already played a leading role in one of the biggest bankruptcies in history, representing an indenture trustee for more than $23 billion in unsecured General Motors Corp. bonds — one of a long list of accomplishments that have led Law360 to recognize him as one of 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • April 01, 2010

    Rising Star: Weil Gotshal's Shai Waisman

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP partner Shai Waisman's day-to-day management of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s $613 billion Chapter 11 proceedings has not managed to overshadow his other accomplishments, such as negotiating successful outcomes for American Airlines Inc. and Global Crossing Ltd., that help make him one of Law360's 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • March 31, 2010

    Rising Star: Mayer Brown's Sean Scott

    At age 34, Mayer Brown LLP partner Sean Scott has already garnered prestige representing Bank of America NA as a prepetition lender to Levitt and Sons LLC and investor Carl Icahn in his recent appeals court victory securing control of bankrupt WestPoint Stevens Inc., earning him a spot on Law360's list of 10 bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 30, 2010

    Rising Star: Kirkland's Ray Schrock

    At only 39 years of age, Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner Ray Schrock has already worked on a number of extraordinary bankruptcies, including Charter Communications Inc., the fourth-largest cable operator in the U.S., earning him a spot on Law360's list of 10 bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 29, 2010

    Rising Star: Bilzin Sumberg's Jay Sakalo

    As Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP’s restructuring and bankruptcy practice group leader, Jay Sakalo has secured critical deals in major cases, including a $1.2 billion settlement on behalf of the estate in W.R. Grace & Co.’s case that provides the basis for the chemical company to exit bankruptcy, earning him a spot on Law360’s list of 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • March 26, 2010

    Rising Star: Akin Gump's James Savin

    With a skill for helping creditors of companies such as General Growth Properties Inc. and Muzak LLC achieve their goals in complex bankruptcies, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP partner James Savin — tapped to head the firm's financial restructuring practice in Washington as a newly elected partner in 2006 — is one of Law360's 10 bankruptcy lawyers under 40 to watch.

  • March 25, 2010

    Rising Star: Weil Gotshal's Lydia Protopapas

    As one of the lead attorneys on the billion-dollar bankruptcies of Crescent Resources LLC and Simmons Bedding Co., and as lead counsel to Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in connection with the bankruptcy of Tronox Inc., Lydia Protopapas of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has a diverse and critical client portfolio that makes her one of Law360's 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • March 24, 2010

    Rising Star: Kirkland's Natasha Labovitz

    Whether helping devise a plan to keep Tousa Inc. in the business of selling homes while in bankruptcy or restructuring Solutia Inc.'s European bonds out of court using an arcane Belgian law, Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner Natasha Labovitz knows the importance of creativity and collaboration in restructuring work, earning her a spot on Law360's list of 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • March 23, 2010

    Rising Star: Akin Gump's Philip Dublin

    At 37 years old, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP's Philip Dublin has managed to forge a cohesive group out of disparate creditors in the bankruptcy of global chemical maker Chemtura Corp. — just part of the reason he earned a place among Law360's 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.

  • March 22, 2010

    Rising Star: Kramer Levin's Amy Caton

    Unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy of General Motors Corp. owe thanks to Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP partner Amy Caton, 38, for helping secure favorable concessions from the U.S. government in the high-pressure, lightning-fast proceedings — just one of the reasons Law360 has named her one of 10 bankruptcy attorneys under 40 to watch.