Dave Nemecek is a nationally recognized attorney, Head of Simpson Thacher’s Capital Structure Solutions Practice and a Partner of the Firm. Dave works closely with Simpson Thacher’s Restructuring and Liability Management and Special Situations teams, integrating these capabilities into a single global team of multidisciplinary practitioners who are uniquely equipped to provide companies, sponsors and creditors with unconflicted, client-aligned advice across the full spectrum of modern capital structure challenges—from liability management exercises to opportunistic credit, distressed M&A and chapter 11 restructurings.
As one of the country’s leading liability management attorneys, Dave has led the design of some of the most complex and novel liability management exercises completed in recent years, including exercises for Warner Bros. Discovery, Saks, Quest, Claritev (fka MultiPlan), Better Health, Apex Tool Group, GoTo Group, Magenta, Radiology Partners, U.S. Renal Care, Wheel Pros, At Home, Carvana, Anywhere, Boardriders, Envision Healthcare, Travelport, TriMark, PetSmart, Macy’s, Cineworld, Neiman Marcus, Cirque du Soleil, Guitar Center, FinThrive and Springs Window Fashions.
In 2025, the Financial Times noted that Dave “has emerged as the single most powerful adviser to distressed companies.”
Dave was among 10 lawyers recognized as “The Most Innovative Individual Practitioner” in the Financial Times’ 2020 North America Innovative Lawyers Report, for his creative approach to debt-financing transactions, devising deal structures other lawyers said could not be accomplished, including his work advising Macy’s on a groundbreaking $4.5 billion recapitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Law Journal named Dave to its 2019 list of “Finance, Banking & Capital Markets Trailblazers” for his work on behalf of such clients as Neiman Marcus and PetSmart. The Legal 500 U.S. praised Dave as being “thorough, knowledgeable, responsive and deal oriented,” and the IFLR1000 noted him as “Highly Regarded.” Dave is designated a “Super Lawyer” by Southern California Super Lawyers. In 2023, the Los Angeles Business Journal named Dave to its list of the “Top 100 Lawyers,” and in 2017, he was named one of the “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers for the State of California by the Daily Journal. Dave has been recognized by Chambers USA since 2014.
Dave received his J.D. in 2002 from Harvard Law School and his B.A., magna cum laude, in 1999 from Northwestern University. He is admitted to practice in California, New York and Texas.