Profilo
Leo Muchnik focuses his practice on complex corporate restructurings, workouts, and distressed M&A, both in and out of court. He represents a range of clients, including debtors, investors, lenders/bondholders, and purchasers. With experience across industries like retail, energy, aviation, entertainment, and more, he is skilled in managing both domestic and cross-border transactions.
Concentrations
- Restructuring, insolvency, and bankruptcy
- Out-of-court restructurings and workouts
- Cross-border restructuring matters
- Debtor representations
- Creditor and ad hoc committee representations
- Distressed M&A
- Insolvency litigation and enforcement
Competenze
Esperienze Professionali - Attività Accademiche
- Energy. Represented Inversiones Latin America Power Ltda., a Chilean renewable energy company, in its comprehensive financial restructuring implemented through a prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization, pursuant to which equity retained its ownership of the company.
- Aviation. Represented Latin American airline in connection with its restructuring.
- Retail. Represented A.B.C. Carpet & Home in its successful going concern sale to the stalking horse bidder and subsequent confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan.
- Retail. Represented MUJI U.S.A. in its Chapter 11 reorganization during COVID‑19, resulting in a fully consensual Chapter 11 plan pursuant to which equity retained ownership of the company.
- Financial Service Company. Represented financial services company in its out‑of-court negotiations with warehouse lenders and derivative counterparties to achieve consensual forbearances and amendments to address COVID-19 related defaults and liquidity constraints.
- Aviation. Represented major Latin American airline in its exchange of $550 million 8.375% Senior Notes due 2020 for 9.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023.
- Entertainment. Represented SFX Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, producers and promoters of live electronic dance music events, in their Chapter 11 Cases.
- Real Estate. Representing secured creditor (an EB-5 Fund) in the Oceanwide Plaza bankruptcy case.
- Medical Device Company. Represented second lien noteholders in an out-of-court exchange and recapitalization of a medical device company.
- Energy. Represented noteholders in their bridge financing to a renewable energy company.
- Food & Beverage. Represented private credit fund in a workout on a NAV facility to a holding company of snacks and beverage businesses.
- Real Estate. Represented private credit fund in workouts on NAV facilities to general partners of various real estate funds.
- Retail. Represented private credit fund in a workout on a loan to a distribution business that had a pull‑forward of consumer demand during COVID-19 when loan was made.
- Retail. Represented prepetition and DIP lender in the Chapter 11 Cases of Christmas Tree Shops and its subsidiaries.
- Retail. Represented prepetition and DIP lender in the Chapter 11 Cases of Francesca’s Holding Corp. and its subsidiaries.
- Hospitality. Represented Hana Financial in its exit financing to fund development of a hotel in TriBeCa.
- Hospitality. Represented ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. in connection with the Chapter 11 Case of Lombard Public Facilities Corporation, an Illinois non-profit corporation which owns the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center.
- Retail. Represented purchaser in the Chapter 11 Cases of Francesca’s Holding Corp. and its subsidiaries.
- Hospitality. Represented private equity fund in its acquisition of a hospitality distribution company in a private UCC Article 9 foreclosure sale.
- Aviation. Represented purchaser of eight aircraft in the Chapter 11 Cases of Ravn Air Group, Inc.
- Medical Device Company. Represented purchaser in the Chapter 11 Cases of ActiveCare, Inc.
- Entertainment. Represented Raven Capital Management in its purchase of a 45‑film library from the Open Road bankruptcy estates.
- Ponzi Litigation. Represented foreign governmental agency in defending against a subsequent fraudulent transfer action brought by the Madoff Trustee; resulted in dismissal with prejudice of all claims based on sovereign immunity.
- Chapter 11 Dismissal. Represented mezzanine lender in the successful dismissal of the mezzanine borrower’s bankruptcy that was filed on the eve of a foreclosure sale.
- Fraudulent Transfer. Represented purchaser of a hair salon company in an adversary proceeding over fraudulent transfer claims arising out of its purchase of target company
- Recharacterization Claims. Represented landlord in defense of adversary proceeding of skilled nursing home operators seeking to recharacterize master leases and avoid rent payments as fraudulent transfers.
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Judicial Intern, Honorable Rosemary Gambardella, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of New Jersey
Riconoscimenti e Premi
- Selected, Secured Finance Network, “40 Under 40 Award,” 2025
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2021-2022, 2025
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, New York Metro Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2017‑2023
- Member, teams working on deals that received the following awards:
- The M&A Advisor’s Turnaround Awards, “Cross-Border Restructuring of the Year ($100MM to $1B)” for the restructuring of Inversiones Latin America Power, 2025
- Global M&A Network’s Turnaround Atlas Awards, “Pre-pack Restructuring Award” for the restructuring of Inversiones Latin America Power, 2024
- The M&A Advisor’s Turnaround Awards, “Restructuring Deal of the Year” for the restructuring of A.B.C. Carpet Co, Inc. and affiliates, 2022
- The M&A Advisor’s Turnaround Awards, “Distressed M&A Deal of the Year ($75MM to $100MM)” for Raven Capital’s acquisition of certain assets of Open Road Films, 2020
- Global M&A Network’s Americas M&A Atlas Awards, “Restructuring Deal of the Year (Mid-Market)” for Raven Capital’s acquisition of certain assets of Open Road Films, 2019
- Global M&A Network’s Turnaround Atlas Awards, “Chapter 11 Restructuring, Mid-Market Segments (100-250)” for the restructuring of Lombard Public Facilities Corporation, 2019
- TMA Chicago/Midwest Awards Program, “Small Transaction of the Year” for the restructuring of the Lombard Public Facilities Corporation, 2018
- Global M&A Network’s Turnaround Atlas Awards, “Entertainment Services Restructuring of the Year” for the Chapter 11 plan of reorganization for SFX Entertainment, 2017
Formazione
Formazione
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Laurea magistrale in Giurisprudenza, cum laude, Fordham University School of Law
Member, Fordham Law Review
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Diploma di maturità, Political Science, magna cum laude, The College of New Jersey
Phi Beta Kappa
Abilitazioni
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York