Latham & Watkins will add three prominent restructuring partners — Ryan Preston Dahl, Benjamin M. Rhode and Natasha Hwangpo — to the firm. The accomplished partners bring a wealth of experience advising on complex business restructuring, bankruptcy and insolvency solutions, as well as cutting-edge liability management transactions.
The additions of Dahl, Rhode and Hwangpo follow the arrivals earlier this year of practitioners Ray C. Schrock, Andrew Parlen, Candace Arthur, Alexander Welch and John Sobolewski.
The partners represent public and private companies, financial institutions, private equity funds, portfolio companies, investors and creditors in U.S. and international special situations, out-of-court restructurings and distressed acquisitions, and in-court Chapter 11 processes through prepackaged, prearranged and traditional restructurings, as well as in complex liability management exercises. The partners’ experience spans virtually every industry sector, including healthcare, technology, automotive, logistics, retail, media, gaming, manufacturing, professional services, food services and financial services.
Rich Trobman, chair and managing partner of Latham & Watkins, said, “Ryan, Ben and Natasha are incredible lawyers, and their arrival further demonstrates our commitment to seeking out difference makers who embrace our foundational values and commitment to excellence. We are delighted to welcome them to the firm, as we continue to build the absolute best restructuring team in the world. The group’s tremendous experience and personal drive seamlessly align with our unique capabilities to advise clients on their most sophisticated restructuring and liability management matters, and will accelerate our growth in this space.”
Ray C. Schrock, global chair of Latham’s restructuring & special situations practice, said, “Ryan is widely recognized as one of the foremost practitioners in the field and has built a venerable restructuring practice that is highly competitive. Ryan’s expertise is deep, spanning debtor, sponsor and creditor mandates around the globe. Ben and Natasha likewise have earned stellar reputations for their significant experience, market profile and client relationships. Our preeminent practice continues to grow and is sought after for consequential debtor- and creditor-side matters across industries, and the arrival of Ryan, Ben and Natasha underscores our commitment to building the world’s number one restructuring and liability management practice, now and for years to come.”
Andrew Parlen, U.S. chair of Latham’s restructuring & special situations practice, said, “Ryan, Ben and Natasha are outstanding additions to our team, and their mix of expertise is a perfect fit for our restructuring and liability management practices. These talented restructuring partners share our commitment to client service and fierce determination to succeed.”
Marc Jaffe, managing partner of Latham’s New York office, said, “I’m thrilled to welcome Ryan, Ben and Natasha to the firm. They bring extensive relationships with major public and private companies, sponsors, investors and creditors, and they are well known for their commercial savvy, technical mastery and formidable track record. We are particularly excited about the synergy between their experience and our market-leading private equity, private credit, hybrid capital and liability management capabilities, as well as our broad public company practice.”
Mary Rose Alexander, managing partner of Latham’s Chicago office, said, “These three partners are incredibly experienced in high-stakes matters and advise on the issues top of mind for boards and executives. We are the only firm with true breadth and depth across products and markets to handle today’s most cutting-edge restructuring matters. Ryan, Ben and Natasha bring additional firepower to our platform in Chicago, New York and globally, and I’m pleased to welcome them to the firm.”
Dahl will join Latham in New York and Chicago. He received his JD from The University of Chicago Law School and BA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rhode will join the Chicago office. He received his JD from Cornell Law School and BS from Clarkson University. Hwangpo will join the New York office. She received her JD from Columbia Law School, MSc from The London School of Economics & Political Science, and BA from University of California, Berkeley.
