NEW YORK – Building upon its premier global financial restructuring practice, Paul Hastings LLP announced today that restructuring and special situations partner David K. Hong has joined the firm as a partner in New York.

Hong joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he advised clients through complex debt finance, distressed/stressed situations, event-driven investments, private credit transactions, and credit default swap (CDS) transactions across the capital spectrum—in both cash and synthetic credit products.

“David’s roles as a sophisticated private practitioner at the top of the market and a critical member of the legal and investing teams at an elite fund are a powerful combination and will add more talent to our deep roster,” said Kris Hansen, Financial Restructuring co-chair. “David’s creativity and depth of experience also will greatly benefit our clients in the ever-expanding liability management market,” added Jayme Goldstein, Financial Restructuring co-chair.

Hong brings valuable client-side perspective with experience as senior investment counsel at King Street Capital Management, LP, a leading global credit-oriented investment firm, where he identified structuring credit and derivative transactions while also leading many of the firm’s most successful and high-profile stressed and distressed investments. Hong’s work in complex liability transactions spans more than 20 years and includes clients such as Envision Healthcare, West Marine, and WernerCo.

“Paul Hastings’ restructuring practice is a market leader,” said Hong. “I’m excited to join this incredible team of elite lawyers and help contribute to the firm’s ongoing focus on offering differentiated, commercial, and actionable advice to clients and building premier platforms. I’m particularly looking forward to collaborating with the attorneys at Paul Hastings to creatively structure credit transactions that are value-additive to clients.”

Hong is the most recent partner to join the global restructuring practice, following the addition of former KKR managing director Will Needham and Helena Potts in London, and the high-profile 18-partner financial restructuring team who joined from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in 2022.

As one of the most prominent and sophisticated teams in the world, Paul Hastings’ financial restructuring practice has extensive experience representing the most cutting-edge financial institutions in complex, high-profile restructurings, workouts, and insolvency matters worldwide and is leading or involved in some of the most prominent, news-making matters such as representing the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors for FTX and WeWork Inc., as well as serving as counsel to the convertible bondholders of Core Scientific, Inc., one of the world’s largest bitcoin miners.

About Paul Hastings

With widely recognized elite teams in finance, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, restructuring and special situations, litigation, employment, and real estate, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers, and corporations. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.