Latham & Watkins added George Klidonas to the firm’s New York office as a partner in the restructuring and special situations practice within the finance department. Klidonas joined Latham from Kirkland & Ellis.

Klidonas focuses his practice on corporate restructurings, liability management transactions, recapitalizations and other special situation transactions.

Klidonas has experience representing companies (including portfolio, privately-held, and public companies), equity owners and sponsors, and committees and distressed investors (including hedge funds and private equity funds), in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings, and Chapter 11 cases. He also advises boards of directors, board committees and senior management of financially troubled companies on a range of fiduciary duty and corporate governance issues. Klidonas also previously worked on secondment at KKR in the special situations group, where he advised the investment team on existing portfolio investments as well as new investments, including rescue financing, debtor-in-possession and exit financing, recapitalizations, equity investments, distressed trades, and other opportunistic investments.

“George has an impressive track record steering large and complex restructurings for major companies and creditors across the capital structure, and we are delighted to welcome him to the firm,” Michèle Penzer, office managing partner of Latham & Watkins in New York, said. “Clients in New York and around the world will be well-served by George’s proven experience as they navigate a challenging and fast-evolving market environment.”

Klidonas is the latest partner to join Latham’s restructuring and special situations practice. In recent months the firm added partners Alexandra Bigot in Paris, Jessica Walker in London and Suzzanne Uhland in New York.

“George is well-regarded in the distressed world, and his arrival further enhances our strong and growing debtor/sponsor practice, as well as our prominent creditor practice,” George Davis, global chair of Latham’s restructuring and special situations practice, said. “His wide-ranging experience and deep ties to the private equity community in particular are highly complementary to Latham’s platform.”

“Latham continues to invest in our market-leading restructuring practice around the globe, and George is a terrific addition to our team that is delivering tremendous results for clients. George regularly advises on sophisticated, cross-border matters that we are increasingly seeing in the market,” Scott Gottdiener, global chair of Latham’s finance department, said.

“Latham is well-known for the depth and breadth of the firm’s global platform and strength across practices and industries required to effectively serve clients’ complex needs,” Klidonas said. “I’m thrilled to join Latham’s talented team and look forward to working with my colleagues around the globe.”