CAROLLYNN H.G. CALLARI has more than twenty years of corporate and bankruptcy law experience at the AmLaw 100 law firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Venable LLP.
Carollynn is a general corporate advisor to her clients, providing counsel on day-to-day legal issues, acquisitions and commercial agreements. She advises borrowers and lenders in connection with distressed loans and serves as outside general counsel to portfolio companies. Carollynn frequently assists clients with implementing growth and turnaround strategies as well as strategic corporate planning and business transactions. She also has extensive experience in sophisticated business reorganization and restructuring matters, having worked across the full spectrum of Chapter 11 cases as well as counseling parties in workouts and restructuring matters conducted outside of judicial settings, and general commercial transactions.
Ms. Callari is the Executive Director and a board member of the New York Chapter of Opus Connect, a professional organization with members comprised of private equity, family office, and other capital providers. For several years she served as an adjunct instructor at New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, teaching a workouts, restructurings and bankruptcy course. She is a speaker at conferences addressing corporate bankruptcy issues and investments in distressed assets. Ms. Callari is also a qualified bankruptcy mediator having completed the American Bankruptcy Institute 40-hour bankruptcy mediation program at St. John’s University School of Law.
Significant Transactions
- Represented debtors in a number of large bankruptcy cases including retailers, such as The Hechinger Company, Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, Petrie Retail, Inc., and Winkelman’s and manufacturers such as Werner Holding Co (DE) Inc.
- Represented energy provider PG&E National Energy Group, where she helped direct prepetition negotiations with creditors representing more than $2 billion in debt to facilitate the debtor filing bankruptcy with a pre-negotiated plan.
- Represented the telecommunications company XO Communications, Inc. in the prepetition and postpetition sale processes resulting in competing offers and entry into an $800 million investment agreement.
- Representation of various sized private equity groups in connection with investments in distressed companies, including representing a purchaser in a $365 million bankruptcy acquisition.
- Handled numerous auctions involving the disposition of fee owned properties and more than 500 real property leases and managed the claims objection and reconciliation process for thousands of claims.
- Represented investors and creditors (including secured lenders, trade creditors, landlords, indenture trustees, ad hoc committees and other interested parties) in Chapter 11 cases, such as Extended Stay Inc., General Growth Properties, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., US Mortgage Corp., Global Crossing Ltd., Teleglobe Communications Corporations, Worldwide Direct Inc., Alliant Protection Services Inc., Access Cardiosystems Inc., A&P and Borders Inc.
Professional Affiliation
- American Bar Association
- New York City Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- Association for Corporate Growth
- Turnaround Management Association
- Opus Connect
- Women in the Boardroom