Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

In the latest boost to Latham & Watkins' bankruptcy bench, the firm said this week that O'Melveny & Myers partner Andrew Parlen has joined its restructuring, insolvency and workouts practice in New York.

“Latham's an extraordinary opportunity for a restructuring lawyer,” Parlen said. 

Parlen began his career at the now-defunct Los Angeles bankruptcy boutique Stutman Treister & Glatt in 2004. He later joined O'Melveny's restructuring and reorganization practice group, becoming a partner in 2012.

At O'Melveny, Parlen picked up roles on various high-profile restructurings that saw him named as one of the New York Law Journal's Rising Stars in 2017.

Andrew Parlen.

Parlen was a part of a group that represented oil and gas contractor Cal Dive International in its 2015 Chapter 11 filing. He also worked with a team representing U.S. printing and specialty papers producer Verso Corp. in its $2.4 billion Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2016. The Memphis, Tennessee-based company emerged from its bankruptcy later that year.  

He has also represented a broad array of creditor groups in restructurings.

Parlen and O'Melveny have recently been representing a group of creditors, along with Latham and Cleveland, Ohio-based McDonald Hopkins, in connection with energy supplier FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.'s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to documents filed in the case.

In his move to Latham, Parlen rejoins his former O'Melveny colleague George Davis, who earlier this year joined the firm as its new global co-chair of its restructuring, insolvency and workouts practice following the retirement of former practice co-head D.J. “Jan” Baker.

“I've had the pleasure of working with [Parlen] in the past, and have always been impressed by his commitment to clients and the results he achieves for them,” Davis said in a statement. “His experience implementing value-maximizing strategies for distressed investors and the companies they invest in adds further depth to our platform.”

Latham has been busy building out its restructuring and insolvency practice. In February, the firm added longtime Sidley Austin bankruptcy partner Jeffrey Bjork in Los Angeles. Earlier this summer it added Sidley Austin restructuring duo Yen Sum and Jennifer Brennan in its London office.

O'Melveny has announced restructuring hires in New York this summer, with Nancy Mitchell, Maria DiConza, and Matthew Hinker joining from Greenberg Traurig in June.

News of Parlen's departure from O'Melveny comes as the Los Angeles-based firm's senior leadership held a meeting with the top brass of U.K.-based Allen & Overy in Frankfurt, Germany, to discuss a potential combination between the two firms, New York Law Journal affiliate LegalWeek reported Wednesday. Parlen had no comment on the merger news.