Scott Welkis Joins Kramer Levin as Partner in the Banking and Finance Group and Chair of Special Situations Practice

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scott Welkis has joined Kramer Levin’s New York office as a partner in the Banking and Finance group of the Corporate department and chair of the firm’s Special Situations practice.

Mr. Welkis has extensive experience handling a wide variety of debt financing transactions. He advises credit funds, private equity funds, hedge funds and other alternative capital sources, as well as banks and other financial institutions. He has successfully guided many clients involved in special situations and distressed financing transactions, including out-of-court and in-court restructurings.

“Scott’s wealth of experience deepens our debt financing and special situations practices and complements many of our other destination practices, including Distressed Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Finance, and Bankruptcy and Restructuring,” said Kramer Levin co-managing partners Paul H. Schoeman and Howard T. Spilko.

Corporate Chair Ernie Wechsler said, “Scott is an exceptional lawyer whose ability to think creatively and to innovate are traits that we and our clients value and that have been key considerations in each of our recent lateral hires.”

“Scott’s experience in distressed financing transactions, both in and out of court, will benefit our hedge fund and distressed investor clients,” said Bankruptcy and Restructuring Co-Chair Kenneth H. Eckstein.

“Kramer Levin’s broad platform and entrepreneurial culture provide an ideal environment in which to continue to grow my practice,” Mr. Welkis said. “I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to help clients develop opportunities that will contribute to their success.”

Mr. Welkis joins Kramer Levin from Akin Gump, where he was a partner. He received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Trinity College.

Kramer Levin has made several prominent lateral hires in its Corporate and Bankruptcy and Restructuring practices within the past month. In addition to Mr. Welkis, recent hires so far this year include fund formation partners Yasho Lahiri and Robert Bendiner Weiss in the Investment Management practice; Terry D. Novetsky, a partner in the Securitization and Structured Finance practice; and Alexander Woolverton, a partner in the Bankruptcy and Restructuring department.

About Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Kramer Levin provides its clients proactive, creative and pragmatic solutions that address today’s most challenging legal issues. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, and Paris and fosters a strong culture of involvement in public and community service. For more information, visit www.kramerlevin.com.