Overview

‘Leo is nothing less than a true master in his line of work’ and ‘a veteran of many intensive and complicated negotiations, which shows in his work.’ He is regarded as ‘an authority in the distressed area.’ - Chambers

Leo Plank is a restructuring partner in the Munich office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

Leo advises Kirkland clients in complex, high-stakes financial restructuring and bankruptcy matters. He represents a range of clients, including high-yield and distressed debt investors as well as companies involved in LBO financing and multinational restructurings. He and his team have a reputation for collaborating closely with one another to craft creative solutions, drive consensus among all the stakeholders of a matter, and achieve favorable outcomes – even in the most challenging of circumstances.

Positioned on the forefront of many of the most high-profile, multi-jurisdictional restructuring and insolvency matters across Europe, Leo not only earned the “Lawyer of the Year” honors for his work in Germany by Handelsblatt Best Lawyers in 2018, but was also recognized as “Best Lawyer” for Restructuring and Insolvency Law every year since 2014. WirtschaftsWoche 2023 lists him as one of the most renowned lawyers for restructuring in Germany and Chambers Europe recognizes Leo as a Tier 1 “high-energy and creative adviser” who “can find solutions that nobody else can find.” Furthermore, IFLR1000 ranks Leo in its 2024 guide as a “market leader” for restructuring and insolvency as well as financial restructuring in Germany.

Clients value the skills Leo and his group draw upon in exercising strategic diplomacy to pull people together and reach satisfactory compromise. In one complicated matter, for example, he and his colleagues led more than 60 stakeholders in negotiations with 14 billion euros at stake, successfully forging consensus among the many different stakeholders.

Leo and his team have prevailed in several first-ever in-court and out-of-court restructuring matters. Some have served as blueprints in the profession that future restructurings will follow, such as the ATU transaction, the IVG debt equity swap and the HETA Resolution Transaction.

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Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 2004, Germany
  • 2003, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
  • 2001, New York

Languages

  • German
  • English
  • French

Education

  • Leopold-Franzens-Universität InnsbruckDr. jur.2001
  • University of Connecticut School of LawLL.M.2000
  • Leopold-Franzens-Universität InnsbruckMag. jur.1999
  • University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, School of LawDiploma in English Legal Studies1995