Stephen E. Hessler

Stephen E. Hessler is a restructuring partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP in New York, where his practice involves representing debtors, creditors and investors in large and complex corporate chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings and acquisitions. He has counseled clients across a broad range of industries, including energy, gaming, hospitality and real estate, telecommunications, financial institutions and manufacturing. Mr. Hessler was recognized in the 2015-20 editions of Chambers USA, IFLR1000: TheGuide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms selected him as a 2016 leading lawyer in Restructuring and Insolvency, and The Legal 500: The Clients Guide to the U.S. Legal Profession listed him as a2016 “Key Lawyer” in the area of Restructuring. In 2015, Law360 named him one of 10 BankruptcyMVPs, and he was selected by Turnarounds & Workouts as one of 2015’s “Outstanding RestructuringLawyers” and as one of 2013’s “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers.” Mr. Hessler is a frequent lecturer and author on various restructuring-related topics. He also teaches a restructuring class each fall at the University of Pennsylvania to Law School and Wharton students. Mr. Hessler co-founded theUniversity of Pennsylvania Institute for Restructuring Studies, a multidisciplinary initiative intended to address topical restructuring issues and influence the public policy debate in a manner that has practical application for investors, practitioners, academics and regulators. He also served as the chairman of the advisory board on Administrative Claims, Critical Vendors, and Other Pressures on Liquidity for ABI’sCommission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11 from 2012-15. In 2014, 2015, and 2017, Mr. Hessler testified before the House Judiciary Committee, and in 2018 testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on proposed amendments to the Bankruptcy Code to provide for more effective administration of a chapter 11 filing by a major financial corporation. Relatedly, he has published multiple articles in legal and mainstream publications, and organized or participated in multiples seminars on these topics. Mr.Hessler received his B.A. in 1995 in political science and communications from the University of Michi-gan and his J.D. in 2001 from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was managing editor of the Michigan Law Review and took First Place in the Henry M. Campbell Moot Court Competition.