Experience

Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors - Highland Capital Management, L.P.

Welded Construction, L.P

Welded Construction was one of the largest mainline pipeline construction contractors in the United States overseeing pipeline projects in lengths ranging from a few hundred feet to over 200.  Young Conaway was retained as lead restructuring counsel for the company after Welded Construction began facing operating cash flow and liquidity issues stemming from a series of discrete challenges related to in-process pipeline projects, including cost-overruns, weather, regulatory delays, government/regulatory mandated shut downs and other matters that, in many instances, were not specific to Welded Construction. Since the commencement of the chapter 11 cases on October 22, 2018, Young Conaway worked with Welded Construction to obtain post-petition financing and negotiated a series of agreements with Welded Construction’s customers to arrange for compensation to complete the pipeline projects that were in various stages of completion. Absent the agreements with the customers to pre-fund ongoing operations, the projects would not have been completed resulting in significant claims and potentially conversion of the chapter 11 cases to chapter 7.

After the completion of the in-process pipeline projects, Welded Construction commenced a marketing process for the company and its assets.  With the assistance of Young Conaway, the company obtained authority to enter into an agency agreement with Gordon Brothers and Richie Brothers to sell the company’s extensive inventory of heavy equipment and machinery. The proceeds from the sale and auction process satisfied the postpetition financing facility and are funding the wind down and the chapter 11 cases while the company pursues litigation against certain parties.

JG Wentworth (Orchard Acquisition)

The J.G. Wentworth Company and its affiliated debtors are a leading diversified consumer financial services company focused on mortgage lending, personal and business lending, structured settlements, and prepaid cards.  The J.G. Wentworth debtors commenced their bankruptcy cases to effectuate a recapitalization of their balance sheet on a consensual basis in accordance with the terms of a restructuring support agreement with their primary stakeholders.  Following a mere 36 days, the J.G. Wentworth debtors’ pre-packaged plan of reorganization was confirmed and the company emerged from bankruptcy a week later.  Through the plan, the J.G. Wentworth debtors’ prepetition funded debt, which totaled $449.5 million, was eliminated and the company received $70 million in new funding.  Young Conaway was retained as co-counsel with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC

On December 4, 2017, the Woodbridge Group of Companies, LLC and its affiliated debtors commenced chapter 11 cases, which arose out of a massive, multi-year Ponzi scheme perpetrated between (at least) 2012 and 2017.  As part of this fraud, the debtors raised over one billion dollars from approximately 10,000 investors, while amassing a significant portfolio of high-end real estate properties, the total estimated value of which is still being determined but which range individually in value from approximately $50,000 to over $100,000,000 per property.  The goal of the chapter 11 cases is to maximize recoveries to investors and other constituencies harmed by the Ponzi scheme.  In order to accomplish this goal, the debtors developed a plan of liquidation that memorializes a settlement reached with various investor and creditor parties in interest in consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The debtors are working diligently to confirm the plan and make initial distributions prior to the end of 2018.  Young Conaway was retained to represent the Debtors as co-counsel working with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern LLP.

Global Protection USA, Inc.

Young Conaway served as counsel to ILC Dover LP, defendant in a preference action brought by the Chapter 7 Trustee of Global Protection USA, Inc. in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey