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Stephen M Blank

Partner
Stephen M Blank is a New York-based partner in Alston & Bird’s Financial Restructuring and Reorganisation Group. He is a transactional restructuring attorney counseling lenders, borrowers, creditors and investors in connection with debt restructurings and workouts, securitisation transactions, distressed M&A, intercreditor arrangements, and all manner of cross-border and Chapter 15 proceedings. Email: Stephen.blank@alston.com

Articles by author

Third-party releases and cross-border restructurings: enforceability of UK-issued nonconsensual third-party releases in the United States

The UK and US implemented cross-border structuring procedures to facilitate, among other things, international comity and the effective structuring and reorganisation of distressed entities with international operations. A key component of any such international structuring is recognition of the actions undertaken in the applicable jurisdiction (eg the UK) in other relevant jurisdictions (eg the US). Nonconsensual third-party releases are an important tool in a practitioners' toolbox to facilitate an effective restructuring. Recently, case law in the US both:

(i) invalidated nonconsensual releases in the context of Ch 11 proceedings in the US; and
(ii) upheld the continued legality of nonconsensual third-party releases in cross-border matters under Ch 15 of the US Bankruptcy Code (which chapter governs US recognition of non-US restructuring proceedings).

In light of those developments, this In Practice article provides an overview of fundamental concepts underlying nonconsensual third-party releases and explores their continued utility as an available mechanism to facilitate UK-US restructurings.

27 JUN 2025

Understanding co-operation agreements: current boom, fundamental issues and latest trends

In recent years, there has been an increase in the use of Co-operation Agreements in US and European restructurings as a reaction to lenders being caught on the wrong side of a liability management exercise. This article highlights fundamental issues and trends with respect to Co-operation Agreements, discussing practical considerations, recent case developments and the potential further evolution, and use, of Co-operation Agreements in the future.

10 APR 2025