Offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in downtown Philadelphia. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is growing its corporate restructuring and transactional finance practices with a trio of attorneys who have a history of working together.

Kurt Mayr, Jennifer Feldsher and Kristen Campana have joined the firm as partners in Morgan Lewis' corporate restructuring and transactional finance teams, the firm said Wednesday. Mayr will lead the firm's bankruptcy and restructuring practice.

Mayr was most recently chairman of the financial restructuring group at Bracewell, and also managing partner of the firm's Hartford, Connecticut, office. He will split his time between Morgan Lewis' New York and Hartford locations. Feldsher, who also joins from Bracewell, is based in New York.

New York-based Campana is joining from Proskauer Rose, but all three formerly practiced together at Bracewell for seven years. Mayr said the ability to reunite the team was a driving force in the trio's decision to move to Morgan Lewis.

Kurt Mayr of Morgan Lewis/courtesy photo

"I had seen partners come and go over the years, but few of them had stung the way [Campana's] departure did," he said, referring to Campana leaving Bracewell for Proskauer in 2016. "We both started to explore the idea of reuniting our practices, and Morgan Lewis presented the most compelling opportunity for us on a number of levels."

Morgan Lewis provided the three with the opportunity to reunite their practices, which have "excellent synergy," according to Mayr, who said the firm had a leading restructuring and finance practice with a global reach.

Feldsher agreed, and also praised Morgan Lewis' broader bench across practices, which she said would offer clients top-shelf, full-service capabilities.

"Restructuring deals, by nature, are multifaceted, and every deal has its own issues," she said. "I expect to see more opportunities and be a better resource [for clients] given the breadth of Morgan Lewis' platform, especially with industry-leading specialty groups."

"Morgan Lewis was a very clear front-runner," Campana added. "Having the space where we can slot in really well and have a good symbiotic relationship was a no-brainer."

Kristen Campana of Morgan Lewis/courtesy photo

Mayr represents creditors, debtors, private equity sponsors, acquirers and others in both in-court and out-of-court matters. He focuses on representing creditors in complex restructurings, with clients clustered in the financial services, energy, automotive and tribal gaming industries.

Feldsher represents secured creditors, special situations investment funds, ad hoc groups and acquirers of assets in distressed situations. She also represents troubled corporate debtors in in-court and out-of-court reorganizations, asset sales and restructurings.

Campana focuses on private debt funds, hedge funds, specialty finance companies, business development companies and private equity investors. She advises issues in connection with acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, convertible debt, equity investments, letters of credit and project financings, as well as bankruptcies.

As they transition to Morgan Lewis, Mayr said he expects his and Feldsher's practice to change as the alternative lending and direct lending market becomes more prominent. He said he believes the breadth of Morgan Lewis' practice, compared with Houston-based Bracewell's narrower industry focus, will provide a broader set of opportunities for his clients.

Jennifer Feldsher of Morgan Lewis/courtesy photo

He is currently representing QTCB Noteholder Group, one of two bondholders involved in a $120 million restructuring of some of Puerto Rico's debt, along with Feldsher. This client will move with the pair to Morgan Lewis.

Campana declined to name any of her clients but said she expected most of them to join her at the firm.

The trio said they were also excited about reuniting because they genuinely liked working together.

"We pride ourselves in delivering a product to our clients, which involves thinking outside the box," Feldsher said, adding that clients like to work with the team because they were problem solvers with an entrepreneurial spirit, a quality they searched for when considering a new firm.

'We were looking to continue that entrepreneurial spirit in a place that was growing, energized and at the forefront of what our clients were at the forefront of," she said. "Morgan Lewis is second to none in that respect."

Bracewell and Proskauer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.