Elisha Graff is a Co-Head of the Firm’s Liability Management and Special Situations group and a Partner in the Firm’s Restructuring Department at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. He regularly represents clients in connection with out-of-court restructurings and Chapter 11 cases. His work has focused primarily on advising companies in connection with their in-court or out-of-court restructurings, equity sponsors in connection with the restructuring of their portfolio companies, and financial institutions with their loans to distressed companies.
Elisha has regularly represented JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and other financial institutions as administrative agent for secured lending syndicates in connection with in-court and out-of-court restructurings. He is also regularly called upon to assist the Firm’s private equity clients (including First Reserve, Blackstone, KKR, Stonepeak, KSL Partners, EQT and Apax and other sponsor clients) with their portfolio companies that are in distress or in potential need of a restructuring, plan sponsors, and acquirers of distressed companies, as well as financial advisors with retention matters.
Recently, Elisha’s work has included acting as counsel to:
- MatlinPatterson funds, in connection with their Chapter 11 case pursuant to which MatlinPatterson was able to consolidate several pending international litigations in the SDNY bankruptcy court, achieve consensual resolution of such litigations through court-supervised mediation, and confirm a consensual plan of liquidation, paving the way for dissolution of the debtor entities and making distributions to the entities’ stakeholders.
- JPMorgan, in its capacity as administrative agent under a pre-petition ABL facility and exit ABL financing provider, in connection with the Chapter 11 case of Party City.
- JPMorgan, in its capacity as administrative agent, in connection with the Chapter 11 case of Nautical Solutions.
- JPMorgan, in its capacity as administrative agent, in connection with the out-of-court restructuring of Yak Access.
- JPMorgan, in its capacity as administrative agent, in connection with the out-of-court restructuring of Axip Energy Services.
- G-III Apparel Group, in connection with the successful restructuring of its retail lease portfolio.
- TNT Crane & Rigging, in connection with its financial restructuring pursuant to a pre-packaged Chapter 11 case.
- JPMorgan, in its capacity as pre-petition administrative agent, DIP agent, exit facility agent and largest post-restructuring equityholder, in connection with the Chapter 11 case of Sable Permian Resources, and also in connection with the sale of JPMorgan’s equity interests in Bighorn Permian Resources (post-reorganization Sable).
- Blackstone, in connection with the restructuring through Chapter 11 of its portfolio company Stearns Holdings, LLC. Blackstone purchased 100% of the equity in reorganized Stearns in its capacity as plan sponsor, and also provided a $35 million “debtor in possession” financing facility and exit financing to Stearns to support the Chapter 11 process and emergence therefrom.
- Dixie Electric, in connection with its financial restructuring through a pre-packaged Chapter 11 case.
- J.G. Wentworth, in connection with its financial restructuring through a pre-packaged Chapter 11 case.
- Templar Energy LLC with a financial restructuring that resulted in the extinguishment of $1.45 billion in second lien debt
In addition, Elisha has recently represented Blackstone, Apax Partners, KKR, First Reserve, Stonepeak and other private equity clients in connection with restructurings, refinancings and liability management transactions in connection with several of their respective portfolio companies.
Elisha has also acted as counsel to the Lenders in several large Chapter 11 cases, including Superior Energy, Halcon, Swift Energy, EV Properties, The Nordam Group, Logan Roadhouse, Inc., Oriental Trading Company; Jefferson County, Alabama (Chapter 9); Station Casinos, Inc.; Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation; Idearc Inc.; NextMedia Group, Inc.; Lear Corporation; Adelphia Communications Corp.; Federal-Mogul Corporation; GT Brands, LLC; RCN Corporation; Galey & Lord, Inc.; GenTek, Inc.; and Recoton Corporation.
He received his B.A.,
magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University in 1997 and his J.D.,
cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2000.