The global law firm Jones Day has announced that four attorneys have joined its Business Restructuring & Reorganization (BRR) practice. in California. The group were all formerly practicing at Dewey & LeBoeuf.

The group is led by Bruce Bennett, who was previously a partner in the Business Solutions & Governance Department at Dewey and the Managing Partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Mr. Bennett is one of the leading bankruptcy attorneys in the U.S., having recently served as lead counsel to the Los Angeles Dodgers in their Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. In the mid-1990s, Mr. Bennett advised Orange County (Calif.) in the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Mr. Bennett will be a partner resident in the Firm’s Los Angeles Office. Also joining Jones Day in the Firm’s Los Angeles Office are Sidney Levinson, who has handled a wide range of bankruptcy matters, including bankruptcy-related litigation, and Joshua Mester, who concentrates on corporate reorganization and bankruptcy matters, including both debtor and creditor representations, both joining as partners; and James Johnston, who also has deep experience in corporate reorganization and bankruptcy matters, representing both debtors and creditors, as of counsel. Other lawyers who practiced with these four at Dewey are expected to join Jones Day in the near future.
“These four lawyers add significant depth to our national and global capabilities and significantly bolster our presence in California,” saidPaul Leake, the leader of Jones Day’s worldwide BRR practice in New York. “Their talent and broad experience will be of tremendous value to our clients in the U.S. and around the world.”

“These four lawyers and their broad restructuring experience are a terrific fit as we continue our aggressive growth in California, and we are pleased they chose to join Jones Day,” said Christopher Lovrien, partner in charge of Jones Day’s Los Angeles Office. “Our worldwide BRR team has consistently been ranked among the top global restructuring practices and our regional team here in California — which already includes top lawyers such as Rick Wynne and Bennett Spiegel in Los Angeles, and Peter Benvenutti and Tobias Keller in San Francisco — will now be one of the deepest in the state.”

Mr. Bennett has represented debtors, creditors, and buyers in many of the largest corporate reorganizations in the United States, including in the fields of retail, telecommunications, heavy industry, aviation, manufacturing, real estate, insurance, energy, banking, and computer technology. The National Law Journal named him runner-up for Lawyer of the Year in 1995. He was named to Southern California Super Lawyers—Top 100 for 2006-2011; “Top 100 Lawyers in Los Angeles” by the Los Angeles Business Journal several years; The Best Lawyers in America for 2000-2011; and Chambers USA for Bankruptcy/Restructuring in 2008-2011, including a Band 1 distinction in 2011. Mr. Bennett earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and his undergraduate degree from Brown University.

Mr. Johnston regularly represents creditors, creditor groups, indenture trustees, and other parties in interest in Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court workouts. He also has an active appellate practice and has briefed and argued appeals before the Second, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel, and numerous District Courts. Mr. Johnston has been named to The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Bankruptcy, Southern California Super Lawyers (2009-2012), and Chambers USA for Bankruptcy/Restructuring (2008-2011). He earned his law degree from the University of Southern California School of Law, his master of arts degree from the University of Southern California, and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.

Mr. Levinson’s clients include debtors, trustees, bondholders, secured lenders, and creditors’ committees in a variety of large, complex proceedings. Previously, he was a trial attorney at the Department of Justice, Civil Division, where he focused on bankruptcy and commercial litigation, and he writes and speaks frequently on insolvency issues. Since 2007, Mr. Levinson has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in the bankruptcy/restructuring area. He earned his law degree from UCLA School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University.

Mr. Mester has represented a number of debtors in Chapter 11 cases and also regularly represents creditors, creditor groups, indenture trustees and other parties in interest in both Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court workouts. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2006 to 2011. Mr. Mester earned his law degree from the University of San Francisco and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

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