Overview
Kris Hansen is Co-Chair of the Financial Restructuring group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Hansen is a dealmaker and a consummate tactician renowned for his strong judgment, financial IQ and expansive market knowledge.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hansen has guided clients through proceedings in bankruptcy and appellate courts across the country, as well as through many out-of-court situations.
Mr. Hansen helps sophisticated investors in distressed credit formulate and execute complex strategies involving mergers and acquisitions, financing and litigation in and outside of actual bankruptcy. He represents official creditors’ committees in complex corporate chapter 11 cases, and corporate debtors in connection with formal bankruptcy proceedings and informal negotiations to restructure their debt obligations.
Recognitions
- Best Lawyers: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2025
- Benchmark Litigation, “Litigation Star”
- Best Lawyers, “various national rankings in the area of Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights”
- Chambers Global: Bankruptcy/Restructuring: The Elite
- Chambers USA: Bankruptcy/Restructuring
- Chambers New York: Bankruptcy/Restructuring
- Futures and Options 2021 “Dream Big” Honoree
- IFLR1000, Highly Regarded
- IFLR1000, 2020 “Deal of the Year: Banking and Finance” for Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- K&A Restructuring Register, “Outstanding Lawyers”
- Law360, “Bankruptcy MVP”
- The Legal 500 USA, Leading Lawyer, Restructuring Including Bankruptcy: Corporate (2022)
- Super Lawyers
- Turnaround & Workouts, “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers”
- Turnaround Management Association, 2018 Turnaround of the Year: Mega Company
Mr. Hansen was also recently inducted into the American College of Bankruptcy, a highly selective honorary and educational association of bankruptcy and insolvency professionals.
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1995
- Fordham University, B.S. in Finance, 1992
Representations
Some of Mr. Hansen’s notable creditor representations include the following:
- Avaya, Inc. (ad hoc group of first and second lien creditors)
- Boardriders (ad hoc group of noteholders)
- Brookstone, Inc. (ad hoc committee of second lien noteholders)
- Calpine Corporation (ad hoc committee of convertible noteholders)
- Caesars Entertainment Corporation (ad hoc group of first lien lenders)
- Carlson Wagonlit Travel (ad hoc group of secured noteholders)
- Core Scientific (ad hoc group of noteholders)
- Dana Corporation (ad hoc committee of noteholders)
- Dayton Superior (official creditors’ committee)
- Extraction Oil & Gas (official creditors’ committee)
- FTX (official creditors’ committee)
- Guitar Center (ad hoc group of noteholders)
- Harry & David (ad hoc committee of noteholders)
- IAC/InterActiveCorp (ad hoc committee of noteholders)
- Indiana Downs/Indiana Live! (ad hoc committee of noteholders)
- J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (ad hoc secured crossover group)
- K-V Pharmaceutical Company (official creditors’ committee)
- Lear Corporation (ad hoc committee of noteholders)
- LightSquared Inc. (secured creditor)
- Lone Pine Resources (certain noteholders)
- LSC Communications (official committee of unsecured creditors)
- The McClatchy Company (official committee of unsecured creditors)
- NationsRent, Inc. (ad hoc committee of secured lenders and plan sponsor)
- Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (lenders)
- SmileDirectClub (official committee of unsecured creditors)
- Steward Health Care (ABL)
- Strike (asset purchaser, DIP lender, ABL and term lender)
- TPC Group (first and second lien noteholders, DIP lenders, backstop parties)
- WeWork (official committee of unsecured creditors)
In addition, Mr. Hansen has acted as debtors’ counsel to: Ambassadors International, Inc., AMF Bowling, Flushing Hospital, Loehmann’s Inc., Recoton Corporation, Trism Trucking, Trump Entertainment Resorts and Union Hospital.
news
- Paul Hastings Advised FTX Unsecured Creditors to Confirmed Reorganization Plan - October 9th, 2024
- Paul Hastings Advises Barnes & Noble Education in a Definitive Agreement with Immersion Corporation - April 22nd, 2024
- Paul Hastings Advised Lenders on $1.2 Billion Restructuring of PREIT - April 5th, 2024
- Paul Hastings Selected as Counsel to Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Cano Health - February 23rd, 2024
- Paul Hastings Selected as Counsel to Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of WeWork - November 21st, 2023
- Paul Hastings National Litigation Team Once Again Recognized in Benchmark Litigation USA 2024 - October 10th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Barnes & Noble Education in Refinancing - July 31st, 2023
- Kris Hansen and Jayme Goldstein Named Among 2022 “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers” by Turnarounds & Workouts - January 3rd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Selected as Counsel to Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of FTX - December 22nd, 2022
Recognitions
- Paul Hastings Multidisciplinary Litigation Team Once Again Recognized in Benchmark Litigation USA 2025 - October 18th, 2024
- Kris Hansen Shortlisted for Corporate Attorney of the Year at American Lawyer’s Industry Awards 2024 - August 22nd, 2024
- Kris Hansen and Jayme Goldstein Named Among 2022 “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers” by Turnarounds & Workouts - January 3rd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Recognized in Global Restructuring Review’s GRR 100 2022 List - December 21st, 2022
- Paul Hastings Recognized in Benchmark Litigation 2023 - October 11th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Recognized for Legal Excellence in the Legal 500 2022 - June 13th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Financial Restructuring Practice Recognized by Chambers USA 2022 - June 1st, 2022
insights
Engagement & Publications
Mr. Hansen is a frequent panelist and lecturer at American Bankruptcy Institute, Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, Turnaround Management Association and other industry-sponsored events.
Select engagements include:
- Speaker, “Post-Restructuring,” American Bankruptcy Institute New York City Bankruptcy Conference, 2021,
- Panelist, "Lender-on-Lender Violence and Its Impact on Valuation Controversies," American Bankruptcy Institute VALCON, 2021
- Moderator, “CDS Markets,” American Bankruptcy Institute New York City Bankruptcy Conference, New York City, 2019
- Moderator, “Practical Issues in Corporate Governance Before, During and Upon Emergence from Chapter 11,” American Bankruptcy Institute 19th Annual New York City Bankruptcy Conference, 2017
- Speaker, “The Intersection of Bankruptcy and Intellectual Property,” District of Delaware Second Annual Bench and Bar Conference, 2016
- Speaker, “Flashpoints for Intercreditor Disputes,” American Bankruptcy Institute 18th Annual New York City Bankruptcy Conference, 2016