Dechert added Marcus Helt, Debbie Green and Jack Haake to its restructuring practice, based in Dallas. The three partners bring complementary strengths across debtor-side representations, commercial litigation and transactional restructuring, and bolster both the firm’s presence in Dallas and its restructuring capabilities nationally.
“Dallas has quickly become one of the most dynamic legal markets in the country, and the addition of this team is a perfect reflection of the momentum we are building here,” Mark Thierfelder, co-chair of Dechert, said. “Marcus, Debbie and Jack are deeply rooted in Dallas and bring the kind of experience and relationships that make an immediate difference for clients. Their arrival is a significant step in the continued growth of our Dallas office and firm as a whole.”
Mike Poulos, vice chair and global head of strategy at Dechert, added, “Marcus is one of the premier restructuring lawyers in Texas and brings a compelling debtor-side practice that meaningfully bolsters our capabilities. His experience representing distressed companies across a broad range of industries, alongside Debbie’s and Jack’s litigation and restructuring capabilities, positions us to serve clients at the highest level on the most complex matters in the market.”
Helt represents large distressed private and public companies in and out of court, buyers of distressed companies and significant creditor constituencies, including official committees of unsecured creditors. He focuses on company and buy-side representations across various industries, including healthcare, energy, food and beverage, distribution and franchise, and financial services. He is often appointed as a state court and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission receiver, with an emphasis on business-divorce and fraud cases. Helt has been recognized by Chambers USA in Bankruptcy/Restructuring from 2022 through 2025, by Texas Super Lawyers in Bankruptcy and Creditor/Debtor Rights from 2015 through 2025 and by Legal 500 US as a Recommended Lawyer. He is also a two-time recipient of the M&A Advisor Turnaround Award for Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year in the $25 million to $500 million category.
“Dechert has built an exceptional restructuring practice with a global reach,” Helt said. “The opportunity to build out the debtor-side practice in Dallas alongside a team of this caliber is a compelling one, and I look forward to contributing to the firm’s continued momentum alongside Debbie and Jack.”
Green focuses her practice on commercial litigation, representing clients in bankruptcy contested matters, appeals, insurance coverage and bad faith, TCPA class actions, antitrust and general commercial litigation, with extensive experience representing debtors in complex reorganizations and secured and unsecured creditors in collection disputes, including commercial foreclosure and fraudulent transfer litigation.
Haake focuses his practice on restructuring and insolvency, including bankruptcy, corporate restructuring, workouts, creditors’ rights and commercial litigation, and advises corporate, partnership and LLC debtors, trustees and creditor committees in workouts, change-of-control transactions and complex Chapter 11 reorganizations. Haake clerked for the Honorable Thomas J. Catliota in the bankruptcy court for the District of Maryland.
