Houston — Sidley Austin LLP announced today that Duston K. McFaul has joined the firm’s Houston office as a partner in both its Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy, and Energy practices. Mr. McFaul is an experienced restructuring lawyer with a concentrated practice built around complex business restructurings, negotiated workouts and contested proceedings.
Mr. McFaul takes a solutions-oriented approach to financial restructuring matters in his representation of clients, which include debtors, secured lenders, bondholder committees, other unsecured creditors, and equity sponsors. He also has deep experience representing clients through an array of trials, adversary proceedings and arbitrations resulting from actions, including alleged business torts, contested sales/divestitures, valuation, fraudulent transfer and transactional issues.
“Especially given the current financial pressure being felt across the global oil and gas sector, this is an excellent time for Sidley to add a lawyer of Duston’s caliber to our global restructuring group,” said James Conlan, co-chair of the firmwide Corporate Reorganization and Bankruptcy practice. “In particular, his experience in corporate reorganizations in the oil and gas space will complement our well-equipped team in guiding our corporate and institutional clients in a strategic manner through the challenges of the current commodity price environment. He is a trusted adviser and counselor, and we are pleased to have him join us as a partner.”
Noted for his reputation as a thoughtful and creative problem solver, Mr. McFaul is ranked in Chambers USA 2013 and 2014 in Texas Bankruptcy/Restructuring, and recommended in Corporate Restructuring (including Bankruptcy) in The Legal 500 U.S. 2014. He is also recognized in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and for Litigation – Bankruptcy.
“Duston’s approach to corporate restructuring and his extensive knowledge of the upstream industry will be of tremendous value to our energy clients, and we look forward to having him here in Houston,” said Jim Rice, co-managing partner of Sidley’s Houston office and co-chair of the firm’s Energy practice. “We believe that having a top-flight restructuring lawyer in Houston will better allow us to offer a complete suite of specialized legal services to the industry. Moreover, as the cycle improves, Duston will contribute to our ability to help our clients manage credit risk in non-distress leveraged and structured financings and other commercial transactions.”
Sidley opened its Houston office in 2012 and continues to grow its Energy practice by expanding its deep roster of talented and experienced lawyers. Since opening three years ago, the office has grown to nearly 40 resident lawyers.
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