Morrison Foerster Adds Prominent Restructuring Partner Doug Mannal in New York

(March 11, 2024) – Morrison Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce the arrival of Doug Mannal as a partner in the firm’s Business Restructuring + Insolvency Group in the Transactions Department, based in the New York office. Mannal brings over 20 years of experience spanning all aspects of restructuring to the firm, with a particular focus on representing creditors, including official committees of unsecured creditors, as well as ad hoc groups of funds in distressed situations – both in and out of court. Mannal’s arrival highlights the continued growth of Morrison Foerster’s market-leading global restructuring capabilities and team. He is the second restructuring partner to join the firm’s New York office this year, following the arrival of Oksana Lashko, last month.

Mannal joins Morrison Foerster from another leading global law firm, where he was a member of the Financial Restructuring Group in New York and focused his practice on financial restructuring, representing a diverse range of clients in complex chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, out-of-court restructurings, and other distressed situations. Mannal’s clients include ad hoc creditor groups, creditors’ committees, and major secured and unsecured creditors, as well as distressed borrowers.

“Doug is an accomplished and highly respected bankruptcy lawyer whose addition, coupled with the recent arrival of Oksana Lashko, highlights the continued strategic expansion of our premier global restructuring capabilities and team,” said Lorenzo Marinuzzi, co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Business Restructuring + Insolvency Group. “Doug’s presence will not only greatly benefit our new and existing clients, but also puts us in a prime position to pursue additional opportunities in an increasingly robust restructuring market.”

Over the span of his career, Mannal has led numerous representations of creditors in high-profile chapter 11 cases. On behalf of creditors, he has designed, implemented, and negotiated numerous litigation-focused strategies aimed at maximizing creditor recoveries. On the debtor side, he has counseled distressed businesses in navigating the complex legal, financial, and operational issues that arise in complex debt restructurings.

Some of Mannal’s representative matters include representing the official committee of unsecured creditors in connection with the successful chapter 11 restructurings of one of the world’s leading providers of helicopter transportation to energy customers; a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in California; an independent natural gas-weighted exploration company; the largest commercial helicopter service provider primarily servicing the oil and gas industry; an American telecommunications company; a real estate investment trust; and a premier sales organization in California for manufacturers of test instruments, as well as representing investors in the successful chapter 11 restructuring of an operator of more than 200 radio stations around the United States; a holding company that provides insurance services and acquires life insurance policies in the secondary market; an American publishing company based in Sacramento, California; a lifestyle brand offering shoes and accessories; and a New York-based fashion apparel company.

“Morrison Foerster is an exceptional firm with a standout restructuring team and a premier global platform,” said Mannal. “I am excited to work with my new colleagues on the ground in New York and across the firm, to help deliver creative and practical commercial advice to clients on their most complex matters and transactions.”

Prior to his most recent firm, Mannal spent more than 16 years at another prominent international law firm, where he helped build a well-regarded bankruptcy practice. Earlier in his career, he spent four years at another New York-based law firm, and prior to that served as a law clerk to the Honorable Conrad B. Duberstein.

Mannal is considered a leading bankruptcy and restructuring lawyer who has been consistently ranked in Chambers USA for his exceptional legal work over the last 10 years. Additionally, he has secured awards and recognition in Turnarounds and Workouts, Law360, and Law Dragon.

Mannal earned his B.A. from Lafayette College and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York.