Michael H. Cassel joined Wachtell Lipton in 2018 and became a partner in 2026. He focuses on litigation and advisory work related to bankruptcy, insolvency, and liability management.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers | 2026 | Litigation, Bankruptcy, Insolvency, Liability Management |
In the liability management and special situations space, among many other matters, Michael has represented:
- Lumen in its exchange transactions pursuant to a support agreement signed by over $7 billion of creditors
- Lions Gate Entertainment and Starz Entertainment in their debt exchange and separation transactions, and in ongoing litigation challenging those transactions
- An ad hoc group of secured noteholders in connection with a global settlement with InfraBuild Australia and related new money senior secured financing transactions
- Travelport in its $3.6 billion of superpriority financing and exchange transactions, and its subsequent $2.05 billion junior priority exchange transaction
- Mitel Networks in its $1.35 billion of exchange, amendment and financing transactions, and in litigation challenging those transactions, ultimately prevailing in full on appeal
- Mallinckrodt in various exchange offers and other financing and restructuring matters, including litigation and appeals over a make-whole dispute
- Affiliates of Capital Group, BlackRock,CI Investments, Manulife, Mesirow and CastleKnight in developing key litigation theories leading to a settlement in the contested Chapter 11 cases of Altera Infrastructure L.P.
- Affiliates of ConocoPhillips in judgment enforcement proceedings against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., ultimately culminating in the auction of the holding company for the CITGO refining enterprise to satisfy multiple outstanding judgments
Cassel has also played significant roles in other major bankruptcy litigations, including representing:
- Transform Holdco in multiple hotly contested bankruptcy appeals, including representation in the Supreme Court of the United States and the Second Circuit, ultimately prevailing in full
- Hebrew University, Bar Ilan University, Weizmann Institute, and Ben-Gurion University in obtaining a complete dismissal of claims brought by Irving Picard as trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities
- Medical Properties Trust in litigations and settlements arising out of the Steward and Prospect bankruptcies
- Jefferies Financial Group in ongoing matters arising out of the bankruptcy of First Brands Group
- An ad hoc group of lenders in numerous litigations arising out of the Title III proceedings for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority
- Itaú Unibanco in litigations and settlements arising out of the bankruptcy of Corp Group Banking and its affiliates
Cassel received his B.S. and M.A. in Mathematics from American University. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and a recipient of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize. Following law school, Cassel served as a law clerk for Judge Denise Cote of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Cassel currently serves as Vice Chair of the UJA-Federation Young Lawyers Division and is a member of the Jewish Federations of North America’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.