Conor P. McNamara
Overview
Experience
Representative Matters
Yellow Corporation — Representation of Yellow Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries (“Yellow”) in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. With its family of brands, including YRC, Reddaway, Holland, and Yellow Logistics, Yellow was a storied trucking and logistics company with a 100-year history and one of the largest less-than-truckload networks in North America. Yellow entered Chapter 11 with approximately $1.2 billion in prepetition funded debt. Yellow secured a $1.525 billion stalking horse bidder for its owned real estate assets and, through its Chapter 11 cases, will conduct a marketing and sale process for some or all of its real estate and rolling stock assets, followed by an orderly liquidation of any remaining assets.
QualTek Services Inc. — Representation of QualTek Services Inc. and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. QualTek is a provider of infrastructure services and renewable energy project solutions to the North American telecommunications and power industries. With Kirkland’s assistance, QualTek’s fully consensual comprehensive restructuring will reduce the company’s total debt by nearly half, from approximately $625 million to approximately $318 million, substantially increase QualTek’s cash on hand, and strengthen its liquidity position.
Carlson Travel, Inc. — Representation of Carlson Travel, Inc. and 37 of its affiliates (“CWT”) in the fastest cross-border prepackaged restructuring transaction to date. On November 12, 2021, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas entered an order confirming CWT’s prepackaged chapter 11 plan of reorganization, just 18 hours after commencing bankruptcy proceedings. CWT is a leader in business travel management with over 12,000 employees and operations in 140 countries and territories around the world. As a result of the restructuring, CWT eliminated almost $900 million of its $1.6 billion of debt, secured access to $775 million of exit facilities and a $350 million equity investment, and preserved the entirety of its worldwide employee base.
Le Tote, Inc. — Representation of Le Tote, Inc., Lord & Taylor LLC, and their affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Le Tote, an eight-year-old venture-backed fashion rental subscription service, acquired the 193-year-old department store chain Lord + Taylor from Hudson’s Bay Company in late 2019. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the secular decline in traditional retail, significantly constrained the Company’s liquidity. The Company will use the Chapter 11 process to pursue value-maximizing transactions for both the Le Tote and Lord + Taylor businesses.
Denbury Resources Inc. — Representation of Denbury Resources Inc. and 17 of its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Plano, Texas, with onshore production and development activities in the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountains regions. Denbury is the only United States-based public company of scale with a primary focus on sustainable carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery. With approximately $2.5 billion in funded debt, Denbury entered bankruptcy with a Restructuring Support Agreement that carries broad creditor support and provides for a comprehensive financial restructuring that will equitize all $2.1 billion of Denbury’s notes and committed debtor-in-possession and exit financing from Denbury’s existing lenders.
Akorn, Inc. — Representation of Akorn, Inc. and certain subsidiaries (“Akorn”), a specialty generic pharmaceuticals company with approximately $861.7 million of funded indebtedness, in their Chapter 11 cases filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
Intelsat S.A. — Representation of Intelsat S.A. and certain of its affiliates in connection with their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Intelsat had approximately $14.7 billion in funded debt as of its Chapter 11 filing and operates the world’s largest satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure, and provides diversified communication services to many of the world’s leading media companies, telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, and the United States government and military. Intelsat filed with $1 billion in committed DIP financing and will use Chapter 11 to restructure its balance sheet and maximize value through its strong operations and future growth plans, positioning the Company for long-term success.
Sheridan Holding Company I, LLC — Representation of Sheridan Holding Company I, LLC and certain affiliates in the first one-day Chapter 11 case in Texas history in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sheridan I obtained confirmation of its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization by video conference on March 24, 2020, one day after Sheridan I filed for Chapter 11. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sheridan I is the first of three series of Sheridan oil and natural gas investment funds. Sheridan I’s prepackaged equitization restructuring eliminated approximately $470 million of funded debt and left general unsecured creditors unimpaired.
One Call Corporation — Representation of One Call Corporation, a leader in ancillary services for the workers’ compensation industry, in a successful out-of-court recapitalization that reduced One Call’s debt through a consensual equitization of nearly $1 billion of junior debt, reduced its annual interest expense by approximately $90 million, and eliminated all near-term maturities. The restructuring was facilitated by a $375 million investment led by existing lenders KKR and GSO Capital Partners.
Sheridan Holding Company II, LLC — Representation of Sheridan Holding Company II, LLC, and certain affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Sheridan II is the second of three series of Sheridan oil and natural gas investment funds. Sheridan II’s prepackaged restructuring addressed over $1.1 billion of funded debt obligations through an equitization which had near universal creditor support and left general unsecured creditors unimpaired.
Blackhawk Mining LLC — Representation of Blackhawk Mining LLC and its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Blackhawk is a leading metallurgical coal producer based in Lexington, Kentucky, and has operations primarily in West Virginia and Kentucky. Blackhawk employs more than 2,800 employees. Blackhawk entered Chapter 11 to implement a prepackaged plan of reorganization that will eliminate approximately $650 million of the Company’s nearly $1.1 billion in prepetition funded debt.
Savers, LLC — Representation of TPG Capital, L.P. and Leonard Green and Partners, L.P. as stockholders and Board directors in Savers, LLC and its affiliates’ (“Savers”) out-of-court deleveraging transaction. Savers is a for-profit, thrift retailer that offers a wide range of clothing, accessories, and household goods in it its stores across the United States, Canada, and Australia. The transaction resulted in the consensual, out-of-court equitization of $300 million in funded debt and refinancing of $700 million in secured debt, and an equity investment of $165 million.
Things Remembered, Inc. — Representation of Things Remembered, Inc. and its affiliates, one of the nation’s leading multi-channel personalized apparel and accessory retailers, in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. As of its Chapter 11 filing, Things Remembered operated approximately 420 stores and kiosks in the U.S. and Canada. Things Remembered sold its go-forward business to a strategic buyer that preserves its online business, up to 1,400 jobs, and approximately 178 brick-and-mortar stores.
American Tire Distributors, Inc. — Representation of American Tire Distributors, Inc., one of the largest independent suppliers of replacement tires, in its prearranged Chapter 11 cases. The restructuring of American Tire’s approximately $2.6 billion in funded debt includes a three-year maturity extension and conversion of approximately $1.1 billion of bonds to equity. Existing equity holders are to receive 5% of the new equity, plus warrants for additional equity. The restructuring has the support of a majority of all holders of funded debt and leaves general unsecured creditors unimpaired.
Prior Experience
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2018Illinois
Education
- University of Michigan Law SchoolJ.D.2018
Contributing Editor, Michigan Law Review
Research Assistant, John A.E. Pottow, John Philip Dawson Collegiate Professor of Law, 2017–2018
- University of MichiganB.A., Philosophy, Politics and Economics2015