Greenberg Traurig Loses Bankruptcy Rainmaker to Baker McKenzie as Restructuring Stays Hot
Longtime bankruptcy partners Mark Bloom and Paul Keenan have jumped to Baker McKenzie after a combined 50 years at Greenberg Traurig.
April 02, 2020 at 05:45 PM
4 minute read
Two leading restructuring partners at Greenberg Traurig—Miami-based Mark Bloom and Paul Keenan—have left the firm where they spent a combined 55 years, Greenberg Traurig has confirmed.
Multiple sources close to the firms say Bloom and Keenan are joining Baker McKenzie in the coming weeks, although Baker McKenzie would not confirm the move to Law.com.
The pickups are a huge get for the verein, as global markets tumble in light of business closures and travel restrictions meant to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, and law firms look to bulk up their bankruptcy and restructuring capabilities.
"After 40 years at our firm, and at this late stage of his career, I understand why Mark would want to try something new," Greenberg Traurig executive chairman Richard Rosenbaum said in a statement. "I fully understand though regret that his support team will follow, as they are of course well regarded here, and we wish them all well."
Bloom was the co-head of Greenberg Traurig's global restructuring practice for several years, and is a longtime veteran of the firm, having first joined in 1981, according to his LinkedIn page. Bloom is a major rainmaker for Greenberg Traurig's restructuring practice, regularly commanding rates upward of $1,000, according to a Daily Business Review analysis.
During the 2008 financial crisis, Bloom's clients included Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, T.D. Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland, according to federal bankruptcy court records. And in 2018, he was dubbed "Most Effective Lawyer" for his work representing Optima Specialty Steel and subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases in Delaware.
That same year, Bloom was elected to serve a two-year term as president of the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy.
Keenan first joined Greenberg Traurig in 2003, and specializes in cross-border restructuring. Fluent in Spanish, Keenan won the Latin Lawyer magazine's "Restructuring Deal of the Year Award" in 2011 for his work on the $420 million financing of Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V.
Keenan is also the past president of the Bankruptcy Bar Association for the Southern District of Florida and in 2014 he served for two years in leadership at the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals.
Baker McKenzie has been looking to build up its Miami office in the last few months. Keenan's Latin America practice fits especially well with the office, which the firm is touting as the global "hub" between Baker McKenzie's U.S. locations and the nearly 800 attorneys it employs in Latin America.
For Greenberg Traurig, the departures come just a week after the firm linked back up with Bruce Zirinsky, the former head of its bankruptcy practice who had left to practice at his own firm in 2015, by forming a strategic partnership with Zirinsky's small practice, Zirinsky Law Partners. It is not known whether Zirinsky's arrival and Bloom and Keenan's departures are connected.
Greenberg also dipped into Baker McKenzie's bankruptcy ranks mid-March with the hire of London-based partner Ian Jack, a two-decade restructuring veteran at Baker McKenzie and former global co-head of its bankruptcy practice.
In his statement to Law.com, Rosenbaum also highlighted the recent restructuring additions made to the firm and announced that the strategic alliance with Zirinsky has been expanded to include former Greenberg Traurig restructuring partner Gary Ticoll, who left the firm alongside Zirinsky in 2015.
He added that he understands why Bloom would want to move, "especially now that Bruce, Ian and Gary are on the team."
Read More
Greenberg Traurig Gets Zirinsky Back, Builds Bankruptcy Practice as the Economy Staggers
As Coronavirus Ravages the Economy, Bankruptcy Attorneys Prepare for the Flood
Baker McKenzie Continues to Build Latin America 'Hub' With Partner Pair in Miami
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