Stephanie Wickouski

Stephanie Wickouski has a national reputation as a strategic adviser and innovator, with a proven track record for her clients. Stephanie’s extraordinarily active and diverse practice includes representing clients in both the litigation and transactional aspects of bankruptcy, restructuring and insolvency matters, with measured experience in indentured trusts. She advises companies and financial institutions on the insolvency implications of commercial transactions, and on credit defaults, including bond, bilateral and syndicated loan defaults, as well as disputes under credit facilities and indentures.

With more than 40 years of experience handling complex reorganization cases throughout the country, Stephanie has served as lead bankruptcy counsel in multiple high-profile cases. She has handled cases through numerous industries, including fintech, digital assets, cryptocurrency, blockchain, retail, energy, oil and gas, shipping, manufacturing, automotive, hospitality, casinos, real estate and health care. She also frequently advises clients on distressed asset sales, including Section 363 sales, where she provides comprehensive legal services to effectively position buyers in the process.

She is the author of three books: "Indenture Trustee Bankruptcy Powers & Duties," an essential guide to the legal role of bond trustee, "Bankruptcy Crimes," an authoritative resource on bankruptcy fraud, and her most recent book, "Mentor X – The Life-Changing Power of Extraordinary Mentors."

Prior to entering private practice, she was a trial attorney with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she received awards for her handling of litigation in airline bankruptcies. She is a panel mediator for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Stephanie taught creditors' rights at the Catholic University School of Law and served as a law clerk to the Hon. Roger M. Whelan, former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Columbia.

Stephanie's representative experience includes: 

• Represented liquid staking pioneer StakeHound S.A., in a $150 million suit brought by Celsius Network Limited in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York
• Counsel to Examiner in 96 Wythe Acquisition LLC (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to Litigation Trustee in Michael Maidan (Bankr. E.D.N.Y.)
• Advisor on US law to Italian Judicial Commissioners
• Counsel to liquidation trustee in Vivus, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del)
• Counsel to trade creditors in Barneys New York, Inc. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y)
• Counsel to trade creditors in JC Penney (Bankr. S.D.Texas)
• Counsel to numerous defendants in litigation brought by the SunEdison Litigation Trust (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to defendants in litigation in Orion HealthCorp. (Bankr. E.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to Computershare Trust Company as indenture trustee in the Chapter 11 cases of Energy Future Holdings (Bankr. D. Del.) and iHeartMedia (Bankr. S.D. Tex.)
• Counsel to Nordic Trustee as bond trustee in the Chapter 11 case of Seadrill (Bankr. S.D. Tex.)
• Counsel to UMB Bank in out of court restructuring of Southern States Cooperative
• Counsel to TMF Trustee as indenture trustee in Chapter 11 case of China Fishery Group (Bankr. S.D. N.Y.)
• Counsel to Delaware Trust Company as administrative agent in Chapter 11 case of AF Global (Bankr. S.D. Tex.)
• Counsel to Delaware Trust Company as indenture trustee in the Chapter 11 cases of Avianca Holdings S.A. (Bankr. S. D. N. Y.); Sanchez Energy Corporation (Bankr. S.D. Texas); Windstream Holdings (Bankr. S.D.N.Y); Caesars Entertainment Operating Corporation (Bankr. N. D. Ill.); and Black Elk Energy (Bankr. S. D. Texas)
• Counsel to Bank of New York Mellon as indenture trustee in Chapter 11 cases of Dex Media; Friendly Restaurant; LSP Energy; R.H. Donnelly Inc. (Bankr. D. Del); General Maritime; American Roads; Escada USA and Chemtura Corp. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y); and Lower Bucks Hospital (Bankr. E.D. Pa.)
• Counsel to Bank of New York Mellon as collateral agent in Chapter 11 case of La Paloma Generating (Bankr. D. Del.)
• Counsel to MUFG Bank as collateral agent in Panda Temple Power (Bankr. D. Del.)
• Counsel to Sovcomflot as purchaser of substantially all the assets of Primorsk International (Bankr. S.D.N.Y)
• Counsel to Ampal American Israel Corporation as Chapter 11 debtor (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to HSBC Bank USA as administrative agent and collateral agent in Recaudo Bogata restructuring (Colombia)
• Counsel to HSBC Bank USA as indenture trustee in Chapter 11 cases of Bally Total Fitness, Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp., Anthracite Capital and Magellan Health Services, Inc. (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.); United Airlines, Inc. (Bankr. N.D. Ill.); USGen New England (Bankr. D. Md.); and out of court resolution in HealthSouth
• Counsel to Deutsche Bank Trust Company as indenture trustee in Chapter 11 cases of New Page Corporation, Hawaiian Telecom, Inc., Aventine Renewable Energy, Primus Corp. and HRP Myrtle Beach Holdings LLC (Bankr. D. Del.)
• Counsel to Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company in Chapter 11 cases of General Motors Inc; ION Media; and Petroleum Geo Services (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.) and Smurfit-Stone Containers and Flyi, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.)
• Counsel to the patient care ombudsman in KidsPeace (E.D. Pa.) and Nightingale Home Healthcare, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Ind.)
• Counsel to federal receiver in American Talent Agency (S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to several hedge funds in Chapter 11 case of Bayou Group (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to JP Morgan Trust (now Bank of New York) in Chapter 11 cases of WHX Corporation (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.); Tower Automotive; and Loral Communications
• Counsel to New York Medical Group, P.C., the largest independent physician group in New York City, in its Chapter 11 case (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.)
• Counsel to Newsworld Communications (The Washington Times) in transactional matters, including the acquisition of Worldwide News (UPI) and in the DCI Publishing Chapter 11 case (Bankr. E.D. Va., Alexandria Division)
• Counsel to Techworld in its successful prepackaged Chapter 11 case, the largest real estate loan workout in District of Columbia history
• Counsel to Vanguard Group, Dean Witter Intercapital and Allstate as senior bondholders in Senior Living Choices Chapter 11 case (Bankr. E.D. Va., Richmond Division)
• Counsel to Laxalt Washington Perito & Dubuc (formerly the Washington office of Finley Kumble) in connection with its Chapter 11 case (Bankr. D.D.C.)
• Counsel to U.S. Bank as indenture trustee in Chapter 11 cases of LifeCare, Inc. and Hayes Lemmerz (Bankr. D. Del.)