James Sprayregen

James H.M. Sprayregen is a Restructuring partner in the Chicago and New York offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and serves on Kirkland’s worldwide management committee. Mr. Sprayregen is recognized as one of the outstanding restructuring lawyers in the United States and around the world and has led some of the most complex Chapter 11 filings in recent history. Mr. Sprayregen has extensive experience representing major U.S. and international companies in and out of court as well as buyers and sellers of assets in distressed situations. He has handled matters for clients in industries as varied as manufacturing, technology, transportation, energy, media, and real estate. He has extensive experience advising boards of directors, and generally representing domestic and international debtors and creditors in complex workout, insolvency, restructuring, and bankruptcy planning matters.

Chambers & Partners has described Mr. Sprayregen as a “great clients’ lawyer, admired for his ‘unflustered ways.’” Chambers said that clients it spoke to noted that he is “probably the best restructuring lawyer in the world.” In March 2010, Mr. Sprayregen was selected by The National Law Journal as one of “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers.” In 2013, Mr. Sprayregen was named “Global Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer of the Year” by Who’s Who Legal Awards, receiving more votes from clients and peers than any other individual worldwide. In October 2013, Mr. Sprayregen will be inducted into the TMA Turnaround, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Industry Hall of Fame‎. The American Lawyer also profiled Mr. Sprayregen’s distinguished career in several articles including “Dealmakers of the Year, Building the Brand,” and “45 Under Forty-Five: The Rising Stars of the Private Bar.” Mr. Sprayregen was also profiled in the articles, “Credit Control,” by The Lawyer, “Willing to Run Through a Brick Wall,” by The Daily Deal, “Lawyer ‘Spray’ Tops Bankruptcy Fray,” by Crain’s Chicago Businessand “A 24-Hour Kind of Player,” by the Chicago Sun-Times.