Leo Plank is a partner in the Munich office of Gibson Dunn and a member of the firm’s Business Restructuring and Reorganization practice group.
He advises hedge funds, debtors and private equity firms on complex, high-stakes financial restructuring and bankruptcy matters. His clients include high-yield and distressed debt investors as well as companies involved in leverage buyouts and multinational restructurings. Leo has been involved in some of the most significant and challenging restructuring cases in recent decades, developing innovative solutions that have served as blueprints for future restructuring projects, such as A.T.U, HETA, and IVG.
Leo is consistently recognized as a market leader in restructuring and insolvency by leading publications and rankings including Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, Handelsblatt/The Best LawyersTM in Germany, WirtschaftsWoche and the JUVE Handbook.
His experience includes representing*:
- a group of German and international banks as lenders under LEONI AG’s €750 million revolving credit facility on the restructuring of the German automotive supplier through the first-ever large-scale financial restructuring under German Scheme (StaRUG)
- the Flint Group, a global leader in print consumables for the print and packaging industries, on its €1.1 billion recapitalization and restructuring
- an ad hoc bondholder group in the financial restructuring of Adler Real Estate group
- an ad hoc group of noteholders in the successful financial restructuring of Löwen Play group involving a complex debt-for-equity-swap through an English scheme of arrangement
- an ad-hoc group of institutional investors in the bond restructuring of Metalcorp group pursuant to the German Bond Act
- Galapagos SA in its contentious restructuring and subsequent multi-jurisdictional litigation in Germany, Luxembourg, England & Wales and New York, leading to several groundbreaking judgements on COMI isssues and distressed disposals by the European Court of Justice, the German BGH and the English High Court
- several private debt funds in connection with various restructurings
- Agrokor d.d. in its extraordinary administration proceedings in Croatia
- the ad hoc committee of senior bondholders of HETA Asset Resolution (previously Hypo Alpe Adria), recognized as European Restructuring Deal of the Year at the 2017 IFLR Europe Awards
- A.T.U in its cross-border financial restructuring and subsequent sale to Mobivia
- the ad hoc committee of SynLoan I lenders in the insolvency proceedings of IVG Immobilien AG
- SVP in the restructuring of Klöckner Pentaplast
- APCOA in its restructuring, including the first Scheme of Arrangement in England & Wales over a German company where the governing law was changed
- Rodenstock (company) and TeleColumbus (creditors) in their restructuring through an English Scheme of Arrangement – these were the first German companies reorganizing through an English Scheme of Arrangement
Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Leo built the German restructuring practice group at Kirkland & Ellis. He is admitted to practice in England and Wales, New York, and as a German lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).
Leo regularly publishes and speaks about restructuring and insolvency topics. He is a board member of the German Turnaround Management Association (TMA Deutschland). He also serves as a member of the German honorary advisory board of Right to Play, an international non-profit organization dedicated to empowering children through play.
In addition to his native German, Leo is fluent in English.
*Includes experience prior to joining Gibson Dunn
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- University of Innsbruck - 2001 Dr. iur.
- University of Connecticut - 2000 Master of Laws (LL.M.)
- University of Innsbruck - 1999 Magister Juris
Admissions:
- England & Wales - Solicitor
- Germany - Rechtsanwalt
- New York Bar