Bankruptcy Partner Joins Sheppard Mullin

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2014 — Craig A. Wolfe has joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm’s Finance and Bankruptcy practice group, based in the firm's New York office.  Wolfe joins from Kelley Drye & Warren. 

"Craig is an excellent fit with our marquee bankruptcy practice and adds additional breadth and depth to our shipping industry capabilities.  His maritime insolvency specialty dovetails well with our maritime finance and maritime litigation practice in New York and San Francisco," said Guy Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin.

“Craig further diversifies our insolvency practice to include more debtor and committee work as well as to expand our cross-border work which already exists for U.S.-Bermuda, U.S.-EU, and U.S.-China.  We are thrilled with Craig’s arrival to further grow our 75-attorney Finance and Bankruptcy practice group,” commented Ed Tillinghast, Sheppard Mullin’s Finance and Bankruptcy practice group co-chair.

“We work very hard to find the right people.  Craig is one of those people.  Last year we significantly grew our presence in New York by adding 20 attorneys.  We welcome Craig, as we continue to expand the office and make further headway into the New York market,” said Blaine Templeman, managing partner of Sheppard Mullin’s New York office. 

"I am excited to join Sheppard Mullin, a top-notch full service firm that offers an excellent platform to grow my practice, particularly in the maritime and cross-border areas where Sheppard is a prominent player.  In addition to the strength and breadth of the firm’s bankruptcy practice, I am impressed with Sheppard Mullin’s maritime industry expertise.  I look forward to again practicing with my friend and former partner Rob Friedman, as well as other attorneys I previously practiced with who have joined Sheppard Mullin in New York in recent years," Wolfe stated. 

Wolfe’s practice focuses on representing debtors, creditors’ committees, individual creditors, lenders, purchasers of assets and indenture trustees in complex Chapter 9, Chapter 11, Chapter 15, and cross-border insolvency cases and out-of-court workouts. He has experience in all aspects of bankruptcy law.  Wolfe regularly represents creditors’ committees in the bankruptcies of companies in various industries, including the maritime, shipping, shipbuilding and offshore petroleum industries.  He was the CEO of a maritime company for more than a decade and held a U.S. Coast Guard Master's License for more than two decades while having operated commercial vessels of all types.

Wolfe has recently served as counsel to the official committees of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy cases of TMT Shipping, B+H Ocean Carriers, U.S. Shipping, Derecktor Shipyards, Hawaii Superferry, and Bender Shipbuilding.  He also represented the proposed official committee of unsecured creditors in the chapter 9 bankruptcy of Jefferson County, Alabama.  Wolfe also represents chapter 11 debtors and has served as debtor’s counsel for companies such as Contessa Premium Foods, Warnaco, Owens Corning, Horizon PCS, Federal Mogul, Imagyn Medical Technologies, Aragon Engineering and the Everyday convenience store chain.  He further represents individual clients in the petroleum trading, offshore oil, pipeline, maritime, shipbuilding, food manufacturing, chemical, aircraft, steel, publishing, retail, manufacturing and printing industries.

Wolfe received a J.D. from Yale Law School and an A.B., with highest distinction, from University of California, Berkeley.

Sheppard Mullin has 60 attorneys based in its New York office.  The firm's Finance and Bankruptcy practice group includes 75 attorneys firm wide. 

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service Global 100 firm with 650 attorneys in 15 offices located in the United States, Europe and Asia.  Since 1927, companies have turned to Sheppard Mullin to handle corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.  In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100.  For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.