Lauren Macksoud

Lauren Macksoud is a Partner in the Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy practice group at Dentons. Her primary practice area is Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law.

She focuses her practice on bankruptcy and insolvency matters and works with all types of businesses. She has a broad range of experience representing debtors, secured parties and unsecured creditors. Her experience in and out of the courtroom gives her an upper hand when it comes to maximising recoveries and minimising risks for clients in and out of bankruptcy.

In addition to her work on restructuring matters, she also advises financial institutions on the structuring of financing transactions such as real estate financings, securitisations, repurchase agreements, secured lending arrangements and other derivative agreements, with a focus on insolvency risks, enforcement rights and remedies. She serves as a member of the capital markets opinion committee for bankruptcy matters, and has experience representing lenders in various types of energy-efficiency project finance transactions, including PACE transactions.

Her debtor representations include serving as counsel to First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation, a mortgage originator that filed for Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, where she negotiated and obtained approval of two DIP facilities; and serving as counsel to the debtors in the Verity Health System case, the second largest Chapter 11 hospital bankruptcy in American history, filed in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, involving the marketing and sale of six hospitals and related assets, DIP financing of $185 million, resolving labour issues and collective bargaining agreements, and the treatment of hundreds of millions of dollars of claims arising in connection with pension plans.

Her creditor committee representations include the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Heywood Healthcare, Inc. et al. (Chapter 11 – District of Massachusetts), In re Fairport Baptist Homes et al. (Chapter 11 – Western District of New York), In re Motors Liquidation Co. (Chapter 11 – Southern District of New York) and In re Chrysler LLC (Chapter 11 – Southern District of New York).

Her lender representations include representing a real estate investment firm in the purchase of a New York area boutique hotel and apartment building, where she assisted in drafting and confirming a creditor plan following a credit bid and took a lead role in successfully defending an appeal of the confirmation order to the District Court; representing a syndicate of lenders in the work out of a rail car credit facility; representing a DIP lender in the bankruptcy of a New York-based construction project; and representing lenders in a battery storage development loan transaction, a cogeneration system development project, and in connection with approval as authorised lender to the NYC PACE program.

Her investor representations include representing bondholders in a take-private transaction through a debt-for-equity swap under a prepackaged plan in bankruptcy; representing bidders for various hotels in the Eagle Hospitality portfolio under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code; representing a mezzanine lender in connection with the foreclosure of a premier NY hotel; representing a Chapter 11 plan sponsor in the acquisition of a mining company; and representing purchasers of a used auto parts company, a mining company and a business consulting firm through Chapter 11 section 363 sale processes.

Her cross-border matters include representing foreign representatives in various proceedings under Chapter 15 of the Bankruptcy Code. Her indenture trustee representations include representing a DIP indenture trustee in a US$375 million issuance as foreign counsel across multiple European countries and Australia, and representing an indenture trustee as global counsel in the US and multiple Asian countries in the issuance of US$650 million of notes upon the consummation of a prepackaged plan of reorganisation.

Her insurance and mass tort experience includes representing insurance companies in numerous bankruptcy cases of religious organisations, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Oakland and the Franciscan Friars of California Inc.; representing an insurer in the Purdue Pharma bankruptcy case in connection with matters related to insurance coverage of Purdue and its affiliates; and representing an insurer in the USA Gymnastics chapter 11 case.

Her recognition includes the Turnaround Management Association's 2025 Non-Profit Company Turnaround/Transaction of the Year Award on behalf of Heywood Healthcare; being named one of 2021 Crain's New York Business' Notable Women in Law; and being recognised as a Recognized Lawyer by The Legal 500, Restructuring (including Bankruptcy): Corporate, 2022 and 2025.

She is a board member for the Animation Project, a nonprofit that uses digital art technology as a therapeutic medium and workforce development tool to nurture the social, emotional and cognitive growth of at-risk youth. She is a Fellow of INSOL International and a member of the International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL).

Prior to her current role, she spent five years as in-house counsel at the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC), the nation's first municipal green bank, where she worked with local governments, community leaders, clean energy non-profits, and building owners, managers and contractors to finance clean energy projects. She also worked at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and Thacher Proffitt & Wood, and served as a law clerk to the Hon. Novalyn L. Winfield, US Bankruptcy Judge for the District of New Jersey.

She holds a JD from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark (2003) and a BS in Communications/Public Relations from Boston University (2000).