Chris Craige

Counsel

Washington, D.C.
chris.craige@lw.com
+1.202.654.7111

PRACTICES

  • Restructuring & Special Situations

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • California
  • District of Columbia

EDUCATION

  • JD, Yale Law School, 2006
  • MBA, Yale School of Management, 2006
  • BA, Rutgers University, 2001
    summa cum laude, Henry-Rutgers-Scholar

PROFILE

Christina (Chris) Craige represents debtors, creditors (including bond insurers), and other parties-in-interest in a variety of restructuring and insolvency-related matters, including out-of-court refinancings, corporate modernizations, liability divestitures, and chapter 11 and chapter 9 proceedings. Chris has particular experience in restructurings involving products liability and mass tort litigation.

Chris co-chairs the board of the IWIRC Washington DC Network.

Chris regularly prepares and guides companies through complex chapter 11 proceedings. Her work includes:

  • Providing strategic advice to boards and in-house counsel in connection with pending and potential restructuring transactions and proceedings
  • Negotiating, drafting, and implementing chapter 11 plans of reorganization
  • Drafting and negotiating sale documents and requests for court approval of section 363 asset sales

Chris advises clients in distressed situations across industries including:

  • Automotive
  • Energy exploration and production, and related services
  • Hospitality
  • Industrials and manufacturing
  • Print and film media
  • Real estate
  • Retail and consumer products 

EXPERIENCE

Chris’ experience includes advising in the following public matters:

Mass Tort Experience

  • Barretts Minerals Inc. (chapter 11; client, Debtors) 
  • Whittaker, Clark & Daniels, Inc. (chapter 11; client, creditor and co-defendant)
  • Paddock Enterprises, formerly known as Owens-Illinois, Inc. (chapter 11; client, Debtors)
  • Imerys Talc America (chapter 11; client, Debtors)
  • The Boy Scouts of America (chapter 11; client, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
  • The Flintkote Company (chapter 11; client, Debtors)*
  • Federal Mogul (chapter 11 and UK Administrations; client, Debtors)*
  • Yarway Corporation (chapter 11; client, Debtor)*

Other Debtor Representations

  • Sorrento Therapeutics (biopharma company)
  • Starry Group (wireless internet provider)
  • Lucky Brand Dungarees (retail)
  • Sable Permian Resources (oil & gas company)
  • Real Mex Restaurants (hospitality)*
  • Key Energy Services (oil & gas services provider)*
  • Chicago National League Ball Club (baseball team)*
  • Lee Enterprises (media company)*
  • R.H. Donnelly (print company)*

Creditor and Other Constituent Representations

  • Metropolitan Automotive Warehouse (chapter 11; client, official creditors committee)*
  • North Country BBQ Ventures (chapter 11; client, secured lender)*
  • Olympic Sales (chapter 11; client, Brunswick Corporation as purchaser)*
  • In re S&B Surgery Center (chapter 11; client, Fortress Credit Corp. as litigation defendant)*
  • In re Fundamental Long-Term Care (chapter 7; client, General Electric Credit Corp. as litigation defendant)*

Municipal Restructurings

  • Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Title III (PROMESA), client, Autonomy Capital)
  • City of Stockton, California (chapter 9, client, Assured Guaranty as bond insurer)*
  • City of San Bernardino, California (chapter 9, client, Assured Guaranty as bond insurer)*
  • Town of Mammoth Lakes, California (chapter 9, client, creditor)*

Out-of-Court Restructurings

  • Endeavor and Silver Lake as majority equity sponsors of Learfield Communications, a leading college athletics technology, data and content firm, in its US$1.1 billion out-of-court recapitalization and restructuring
  • Bird Global, an electric scooter and bike-sharing company, in connection with its out-of-court recapitalization and merger transaction with Bird Canada

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham