Dennis is a partner in Willkie’s Restructuring Department. He represents debtors, creditors’ committees, ad hoc bondholder groups, individual creditors, and other interested parties in major domestic and international corporate and debt restructurings, exchanges, distressed mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy cases.
Dennis also has extensive experience in debt finance, counterparty risk, distressed corporate transactions, derivatives, securities transactions, and other domestic and international financial transactions.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie in 2021, Dennis was a partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP.
- Bankruptcy and Restructuring (NY) – Chambers USA 2023
- Lawyer of the Year: Securitization and Structured Finance Law (Boston) – Best Lawyers in America 2023
Dennis has advised on the following significant matters*:
- In re EP Energy: Counsel to the ad hoc group of senior secured noteholders, and special counsel to the indenture trustee, in the chapter 11 cases of EP Energy, an oil and gas exploration company with assets in Texas and Utah and more than $4.5 billion of debt and other obligations.
- In re Aceto: Counsel to ad hoc group of convertible noteholders and Wilmington Trust as special counsel in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Aceto, a global generic drug manufacturing and chemical distribution company, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.
- In re Sanchez Energy: Counsel to the ad hoc group of first lien noteholders, as noteholders and backstop DIP lenders, in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of Sanchez Energy Corp., a Houston-based exploration and production company, with over $2.275 billion in funded debt.
- In re Southeastern Grocers LLC, et al.: (Bankr. D. Del.) Counsel to the ad hoc group of secured and unsecured noteholders in connection with the chapter 11 prepackaged plan of Southeastern Grocers LLC – one of the largest conventional supermarkets in the United States – successfully rationalizing its 704-store footprint and restructuring more than $1.5 billion of debt and other obligations, paying unsecured trade creditors in full.
- In re Tops Holding II Corporation: (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) Counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors of supermarket retailer Tops Holding II Corporation and affiliates in their chapter 11 cases. The company filed for chapter 11 in February 2018 with over $748 million in funded indebtedness and substantial pension liabilities.
- In re Ciber, Inc. et al.: (Bankr. D. Del.). Counsel to Ciber, Inc. and its affiliated debtors, industry leaders in information technology, consulting, and outsourcing services, in their chapter 11 cases. Advised the companies in the successful 363 sale of substantially all of their North American and Indian assets for $90.7 million, nearly doubling the initial stalking horse bid, and assisted with the development of a liquidating plan providing for the distribution of sale proceeds and remaining value to stakeholders.
- An ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders of EPL Oil & Gas in the chapter 11 proceedings of Energy XXI Ltd., et al.
- An ad hoc group of creditors in the chapter 11 proceedings of GT Advanced Technologies, Inc., et al.
- An official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 proceedings of Altegrity, Inc., et al.
- An indenture trustee for first lien notes, and ad hoc group of first lien noteholders, in the chapter 11 proceedings of Energy Future Intermediate Holdings, et al.
- An ad hoc group of noteholders in successful exchange negotiations regarding a $1.2–billion series of bonds issued by a major U.S. exploration & production company.
- An ad hoc group of term loan lenders in successful consent negotiations regarding a $1.8–billion tranche of term loans issued by one of the largest U.S. coal companies.
- A group of European banks in connection with the sale of more than $1.2 billion of commercial loans secured by U.S. commercial real estate assets.
- TransUnion in connection with the acquisition of big data analytics and information assets of TLO, LLC (a Hank Asher company), through a section 363 sale.
- An ad hoc group of noteholders in out–of–court restructuring negotiations with a “top 50” U.S. trucking company.
- An ad hoc group of noteholders in a successful exchange of more than $1.5 billion in unsecured notes issued by multinational technology company for a new series of senior secured notes.
- An official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 11 proceedings of Getty–Petroleum Marketing, et al.
- Intel Corporation in connection with the bankruptcy and dissolution of its corporate jet fleet operator.
- First Marblehead Corporation and its affiliates in connection with the chapter 11 case of The Education Resources Institute, Inc., a guarantor of more than $20 billion in student loans.
- A major U.S. bank in connection with review in all 50 states of its servicing operations for borrowers in bankruptcy.
- An ad hoc group of secured noteholders in the United States and Mexican restructuring proceedings of Satélites Mexicanos.
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the chapter 11 case of Northwest Airlines.
- An ad hoc group of secured debt holders in the chapter 11 case of McLeodUSA Incorporated, et al.
- KB Toys and its affiliates in their chapter 11 reorganization.
* Dennis advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Boston College Law School, J.D., 1997 Brigham Young University, B.A., 1994