"Brian Trust is the gold standard. He is everything that you want from a restructuring advisor: incredibly experienced, hard-working, well-prepared, communicative, thoughtful, confident, detailed when needed and concise where not."
Legal 500 2021

Overview

Brian Trust co-leads Mayer Brown’s Global Restructuring practice. He focuses on representing large institutional creditors, including agent banks, lending syndicates, insurance companies and other investors. Brian has extensive experience in complex Chapter 11 reorganizations, out-of-court restructurings and recapitalizations, mergers and acquisitions of financially distressed companies, acquisition and divestiture of claims against and equity interests in distressed companies, debtor-in-possession and exit financings, and cross-border insolvencies.

Ranked year after year by Chambers USA and Chambers Global, Brian is praised by clients for his “wealth of restructuring experience” and “superior ability to thoroughly analyze complex issues from both the legal and the business sides,” and they applaud him for doing a “fantastic job on complex work.” Brian is lauded for his “great reputation in the bankruptcy and restructuring community,” described as “very bright, client-oriented, attentive and very practical,” and viewed as “very strategic, a great communicator, and talented on a myriad of levels.” Global Restructuring Review notes that Brian is “strategic and practical,” “always ahead of the curve” and “a pleasure to work with.” The Legal 500 USA highlights Brian for his corporate restructuring work, commending Brian for being “extremely responsive" and "technically very strong," and noting that he "knows the issues important to banks" and has "excellent judgment.” Additionally, Brian is listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, identified as a Notable Practitioner in IFLR1000 and, for over ten years, recognized by New York Super Lawyers as a top lawyer in the area of “Creditor Debtors Rights: Business.” Recognized as a thought leader, Brian is a frequent lecturer and author on novel and complex bankruptcy and reorganization issues. The media often interviews Brian for his views on innovative and timely reorganization topics.

Brian is continuously involved in some of the most complex and significant restructurings and was featured in Global M&A Network’s 2022 list of the Top 100 Restructuring Professionals. Brian recently led the Mayer Brown teams on the restructurings of Hertz Global Holdings, Avianca Holdings and Washington Prime Group, which were awarded “Turnaround of the Year (Mega),” “Cross Border Turnaround of the Year,” and “Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year,” respectively, at Global M&A Network’s 2022 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards. The Hertz Global Holdings restructuring was also awarded “Reorganization of the Year (over $1B)” at The M&A Advisor’s 2022 Annual Turnaround Awards. Additionally, Brian spearheaded the Mayer Brown teams on the restructurings of PG&E, Centric Brands Inc., and Covia Holdings Corp., awarded “Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year (Mega),” Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year (Large),” and “Materials & Resources Restructuring of the Year,” respectively, at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards. The Centric Brands Inc. restructuring also won “Restructuring of the Year (Large)” at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Americas M&A Atlas Award. He also represented the Commercial Bank of Dubai in connection with the restructuring of McDermott International, awarded “Restructuring Deal of the Year” at the 2021 IFLR Americas Awards. Finally, Brian is widely recognized as the market leader in structuring complex hybrid securitization and/or ABS DIP facilities in chapter 11 cases, including The Hertz Corporation, Centric Brands Inc., Covia Holdings Corp., Cloud Peak Energy Inc., Peabody Energy Corporation, and Arch Coal, Inc.

Spoken Languages

  • English

Experience

Brian’s representative matters include:

  • The Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) in connection with the restructuring of McDermott International, a provider of engineering and construction for the energy industry. By negotiating the inclusion of protective provisions within McDermott’s confirmed plan of reorganization, Mayer Brown ensured that the procurement guarantees that CDB had provided for projects undertaken in the Middle East and North Africa by McDermott’s affiliate would not be impaired. McDermott International’s restructuring was awarded “Restructuring Deal of the Year” at the 2021 IFLR Americas Awards.

  • A major US Bank, as administrative agent, under the pre-petition and post-petition A/R securitization facility in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Centric Brands Inc.  This financing utilized securitization technology and DIP lending in a court-approved, complex hybrid securitization/DIP facility. This restructuring was awarded “Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year (Large)” at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards and at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Americas M&A Atlas Awards.

  • A major international financial institution, as administrative agent, under the $1.6 billion Donlen ABS facility in the Hertz chapter 11 case and, as administrative agent, under a $400 million post-petition ABS facility with respect to the Donlen fleet leasing business. This restructuring was awarded “Turnaround of the Year (Mega)” at Global M&A Network’s 2022 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards and “Reorganization of the Year (over $1B)” at The M&A Advisor’s 2022 Turnaround Awards.

  • A major international financial institution, as facility agent, security agent and lender, in the multi-jurisdictional insolvency cases of Avianca Holdings S.A. and certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, a multi-LATAM company and one of the world’s oldest airlines. This restructuring was awarded “Cross Border Turnaround of the Year” at Global M&A Network’s 2022 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • A major US Bank, as administrative agent, in connection with the letter of credit DIP Facility in Covia Holdings Corp.’s chapter 11 case.  This innovative letter of credit facility utilized securitization technology and harmonized complex intercreditor issues with certain secured lenders. This restructuring was awarded “Materials & Resources Restructuring of the Year” at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • A major international bank in connection with PG&E Corporation’s chapter 11 case, including advising the client as administrative agent under the $1 billion AR exit facility pursuant to the confirmed plan of reorganization for PG&E Corporation. This restructuring was awarded “Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year (Mega)” at Global M&A Network’s 2021 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • The ad hoc steering group of senior lenders in connection with the restructuring of Sandy Creek Energy Associates, a unit coal-fired power generating plant.

  • A major international financial institution, a major US bank and a regional financial institution, each as administrative agent, under three separate syndicated credit facilities under which FirstEnergy Corp. and its affiliates were borrowers and/or guarantors. We subsequently advised two major international financial institutions and a major US bank, as joint lead arrangers and administrative agents, in connection with six separate new credit facilities in the aggregate amount of $4.5 billion that replaced and refinanced the existing credit facilities.

  • GLAS USA LLC and GLAS Americas LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, respectively, under the $1.2 billion secured exit facility in connection with the confirmed plan of reorganization of Washington Prime Group, a major owner of malls and shopping centers across more than 100 locations across the United States, and its affiliates. We also represented GLAS USA LLC and GLAS Americas LLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, under three separate syndicated credit facilities totaling over $1 billion of prepetition secured debt, together with the $100 million DIP facility. This restructuring was awarded “Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year (Large)” at Global M&A Network’s 2022 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • major U.S. bank and its capital finance affiliate, as administrators, in connection with the bankruptcies of certain of the largest coal companies in the United States, including Peabody Energy CorporationArch Coal, Inc. and Cloud Peak Energy Inc. These restructurings included the blended use of securitization technology and DIP lending into court-approved, complex hybrid securitization/DIP facilities. These innovative financings harmonize complex intercreditor issues raised by extending a securitization facility into a chapter 11 proceeding on a side-by-side basis with DIP loans from prepetition secured lenders. Cloud Peak Energy Inc.’s restructuring was awarded “Basic Resources Restructuring of the Year (Value below $500 million)” at Global M&A Network’s 2020 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • A major financial institution, as agent, collateral agent and bilateral letter-of-credit issuer, in connection with the multi-jurisdictional chapter 11 cases of Weatherford International plc and certain of its affiliates, with respect to a rolled-up prepetition and new money post-petition cash collateralized letter of credit facility. The letter of credit facility presented complex intercreditor issues with a side-by-side term loan DIP facility and the related cross-border cash management system. This restructuring was awarded “Energy Restructuring of the Year (Large)” at Global M&A Network’s 2020 Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards.

  • major international financial institution, as agent on behalf of a syndicate of lenders, in connection with the restructuring of loans for four cancer-treatment centers across the United States. This involved novel out-of-court refinancing transactions and both consensual and disputed bankruptcy court supervised 363 sale transactions. These deals were awarded “Health Care Services Restructuring of the Year” at Global M&A Network’s 11th Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards and “Chapter 11 Reorg of the Year ($500MM to $1B)” at the 2019 M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards.

  • market leading institutional trust company and a major U.S. bank, as agents, respectively, for syndicates of lenders, in connection with the workout, restructuring and multi-jurisdictional insolvency cases of Waypoint Leasing Holdings Ltd. and its various subsidiaries. Waypoint is a helicopter leasing company that financed its operations through a series of bi-lateral credit facilities at its subsidiaries. This deal was awarded “Restructuring of the Year ($1B to $10B)” at the 2019 M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards.

  • major international financial institution, an administrative agent, in connection with a complex cross-border ABL facility to the UK Borrowers, Bristow Norway AS and Bristow Helicopters Limited, a British helicopter operator and its Norwegian subsidiary, successfully preserving a parent guaranty through a confirmed plan of reorganization of Bristow Group, Inc. in a complex chapter 11 case.

Education

Brooklyn College, City University of New York, BA

New York University, MA

New York Law School, JD, cum laude
Articles Editor, New York Law School Law Review

Admissions

  • New York

Court

  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • US District Court for the Southern District of New York

Activities

  • Section of Business Law, American Bar Association
  • Association of the Bar of the City of New York
  • The Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys, Inc.
  • The American Bankruptcy Institute