Jeffrey B. Ellman

Jeff Ellman has 30 years of experience representing parties in large corporate and municipal restructurings, with a focus on debtor representations in bankruptcy. He served as debtors’ counsel in the historic bankruptcy and sale of Chrysler at the peak of the financial crisis and represented the City of Detroit in the largest chapter 9 case in history. Jeff serves as the Business Restructuring & Reorganization practice leader in Atlanta and also has extensive experience representing asset purchasers, significant creditors, secured lenders, and equity sponsors in distressed situations. In addition, he has counseled numerous clients on environmental issues in bankruptcy and boards on fiduciary duty issues.

Jeff currently represents Bestwall and DBMP in their innovative asbestos mass tort bankruptcies. Previously, he represented Alpha Natural Resources, one the country’s largest coal companies in its chapter 11 case, involving successful asset sales, resolutions of complex environmental obligations, and restructuring more than $7 billion in debt. His representations of distressed asset purchasers include International Steel Group, which purchased steel assets out of various chapter 11 cases. Jeff also has represented some of the country’s largest banks as secured lenders and served as national counsel on lease issues for a major shopping center investor.

Jeff is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and serves on the boards of the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute and the Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal. He has served on nonprofit boards addressing arts, education, and greenspace issues and currently is on the boards of Park Pride and GALEO (Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials). He is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Atlanta.