NEW YORK, JULY 15, 2026: For decades, Weil has defined the restructuring market. Today, the market is entering another period of transformation — capital structures are more complex, liability management has become a core strategic discipline, and cross-border matters are increasingly the norm rather than the exception. Clients are making more deliberate choices about forum, process and outcome. As the industry continues to evolve, Weil is investing in the leadership, capabilities and global integration that will help define the practice's next chapter.
The firm today announced that Matt Barr has been appointed to the newly created role of Global Chair of Restructuring, a direct outcome of a strategic review focused on how Weil positions its practice for continued success in the years ahead.
The next generation of matters will demand seamless coordination across jurisdictions, deeper integration between restructuring and strategic capital solutions, faster innovation and a leadership model designed for an increasingly global market. Creating a Global Chair of Restructuring is a deliberate investment in building the practice clients will need over the next decade.
Importantly, the structure that has made Weil's restructuring practice exceptional remains intact. Jeff Saferstein, Ronit Berkovich and Sunny Singh continue as Co-Chairs of the U.S. Restructuring practice, Andrew Wilkinson continues as Chair of U.K. Restructuring, and restructuring partners in Germany, France, and Hong Kong anchor the Firm’s global capabilities. Barr’s role adds a global connective layer, not a new hierarchy.
“Restructuring is central to Weil’s growth, and Matt’s appointment is the result of a deliberate decision about how we build for the future," said Barry Wolf, Executive Partner of Weil. “Matt is one of the most respected lawyers in the market and is sought out by clients in situations that don’t come with a playbook. The depth we have in this practice, from Matt to our U.S. Co-Chairs to Andrew and the broader team, is unmatched and we are aggressively developing and building on it.”
For Barr, the appointment is as much about what the market is demanding as it is about what Weil has built. “The restructuring landscape has fundamentally changed,” he said. “Clients need counsel that can structure creative solutions out-of-court, move across jurisdictions as fluidly as the situations themselves demand and understand that the most sophisticated parties today are making deliberate, strategic choices about forum and process. What distinguishes Weil is that we have built a practice with the genuine depth to meet clients wherever those choices lead and the ambition to keep innovating as the market evolves. Our team is the best in the business, which is based on our collaborative and relentlessly responsive culture.”
That ambition has a track record behind it. Weil pioneered the first liability management exercise and today remains at the forefront of a space it helped create, currently advising on over 25 LME transactions in 2026 alone totaling over $35 billion in liabilities. Barr, with the restructuring group leadership, and Justin Lee, Global Head of Liability Management and Strategic Capital Solutions, have been at the center of that evolution, advising parties across the globe in some of the largest restructurings in recent years.
“We are at a pivotal moment for the legal industry, for our clients, and for the Firm," said Ramona Nee, the next Executive Partner of Weil. “Rising pressures across the global economy, the rapid evolution of AI, the increasing complexity of cross-border situations — all of it demands a practice ahead of the curve. We made the deliberate decision to unify global oversight of this practice under a single leader because we believe the most consequential work of the next decade will require exactly that. Matt is the right person to lead that charge, and we expect this practice to set an even higher standard in the years ahead.”
“The firms that will lead the next decade are anticipating where clients are headed and building for that future before it arrives," said Jonathon Soler, Co-Managing Partner of Weil. “We believe the restructuring market is entering a new era, and this appointment reflects our commitment to investing in the leadership, talent, and global platform that will define it.”
Weil's restructuring practice spans the full spectrum of complex matters, including landmark chapter 11 cases, creative out-of-court solutions, liability management exercises and bespoke cross-border insolvency work. With this appointment, the Firm enters its next chapter from a position of strength: a unified global practice, a deepened leadership team, a market leading bench of talented partners, and a clear line of sight to the work ahead.
