Gary Lee is global co-chair of the firmwide Business Restructuring & Insolvency Group and co-chair of the Finance Department of Morrison & Foerster LLP. He advises clients on domestic and international restructuring and insolvency matters in the United States, United Kingdom, and continental Europe. He acted as lead counsel to Residential Capital and its subsidiaries in their chapter 11 cases and represents several hedge funds in restructuring and liquidation proceedings, including several matters in the Madoff SIPA proceedings.
Mr. Lee has been heavily involved in the implementation of foreign liquidations and schemes of arrangement in the United States and has been closely involved with issues arising under chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Notably, Mr. Lee represented two of the largest Icelandic banks in their restructuring proceedings in Iceland. Mr. Lee has acted as counsel to the acquirer—in and out of chapter 11—in several major international asset purchases of mining, smelting, and oil and gas operations. Mr. Lee has also been involved in several cross-border telecom restructuring and bankruptcy matters, including Genuity, Global Crossing, Ish, Viatel, and Star Telecom, among others.
Mr. Lee is a fellow of the American Bar Association, and previously served as the vice chairman of its Litigation Committee of the Young Lawyers Division. He is the co-chair of the Transnational Bankruptcy Committee of the International Insolvency Institute. Additionally, he is a member of the City Bar’s Insurance Law Committee, and is the former co-chair of its Insolvency Committee. He also served on the International Insolvency Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Mr. Lee is a co-author of the “United States of America,” chapter of the book International Asset Tracing in Insolvency, Oxford University Press, 2010.
Mr. Lee was named an AmLaw Dealmaker of the Year for 2014 in recognition of his work in Residential Capital's chapter 11 case. He is listed as a leading lawyer for Bankruptcy & Restructuring in Chambers USA 2014 where he is described as “very quick on his feet” and noted for “having a good head in tough situations.” Turnarounds & Workouts named him an Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer for 2012 and 2013, an honor that is awarded to only twelve attorneys nationwide on an annual basis. The Legal 500 US notes Mr. Lee’s “great common sense and judgment” and that he is “quick at thinking on his feet.” He was honored as “Person of the Year” by the Association of Insurance and Reinsurance Run-Off Companies in 2011 for his work on the GTE RE liquidation. Mr. Lee was cited in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers.
