Practice Areas
Education
- Fordham University, J.D. 1997
Editor in Chief, Environmental Law Journal - Bates College, B.A. 1987
Bar Admissions
- Connecticut, 2009
- New York, 1998
- Massachusetts, 1997
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, 2008
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, 2007
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1998
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1998
Hank Baer is the head of our Bankruptcy & Corporate Reorganizations group, and focuses his practice on complex financial transactions involving distressed assets. Mr. Baer has significant experience representing buyers and sellers of assets in distressed situations, both in and out of court, and in the negotiation and implementation of global solutions for re-capitalizing over-leveraged companies. He has represented first lien, second lien and mezzanine lenders in bankruptcy proceedings and in out-of-court workouts, and has represented DIP lenders in Chapter 11 proceedings and Boards of Directors of insolvent companies and of companies in the “zone of insolvency.” Mr. Baer has represented all of the primary constituencies in Chapter 11 proceedings, including debtors, official committees, agents for syndicated loans, individual lenders, indenture trustees and retained professionals.
Throughout his career, Mr. Baer has represented clients in a broad cross-section of industries, including in the automotive, restaurant, paper, power, textile, grocery, printing, movable medical equipment manufacturing, coal, digital technologies and real estate sectors, among others. He has written extensively on the reorganization process and frequently appears on panels and at conferences.
Recent transactions include the representation of a large multi-national company in a strategic acquisition consummated pursuant to section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code, the representation of a private equity group in the de-leveraging of the balance sheet of one of its portfolio companies, the representation of a major financial institution with respect to its participation in a multi-billion dollar DIP financing facility, the representation of an investment firm with respect to a non-performing senior secured loan, the representation of a technology company with respect to the bankruptcy of several closely related companies, and the representation of a financial advisor with respect to its retention in several ongoing bankruptcy cases.
Prior to joining Finn Dixon & Herling, Mr. Baer was a member of the Insolvency group at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York.
Associations and Memberships
New York Bar Association
American Bankruptcy Institute
Connecticut Bar Association
American Bar Association
Turnaround Management Association
Publications
Second Circuit Update, Editor, American Bankruptcy Institute
Executive Compensation under Amendments to the Code – New York Law Journal, Vol. 237, March 5, 2007
Speaking Engagements
Panelist, "Successfully Managing Portfolio Companies Through the Re-Structuring Process," 2010 Leadership in the Distressed Markets Conference, January, 2010
How to Restructure Balance Sheets in 2009, March 5, 2009 (Hear presentation)
Does the Madoff Trustee Have a Claim Against You? Lessons From In re Bayou Group, LLC, December 22, 2008
Bankruptcy Fundamentals: What Every Client Wants (Needs) To Know About Bankruptcy, November 19, 2008 (View presentation)
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Files For Protection Under Chapter 11; Several European Subsidiaries Placed In Administration By UK Regulators, September 16, 2008
Supreme Court Decision on Stamp Tax Exemptions Could Have Meaningful Impact on Value in 363 Sales, June 18, 2008
Buying and Selling the Distressed Small Business, June 2008, Connecticut Bar Association