William Perlstein is a co-managing partner of the firm, as well as a partner in the firm's Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice Group. He joined the firm in 1975. Mr. Perlstein is the co-chair of WilmerHale's Management Committee and former head of the firm’s Bankruptcy and Commercial Group. He represents creditors’ committees, bank groups, debtors, trustees and claims acquirers in bankruptcy and workout cases around the country. Mr. Perlstein appears frequently on programs addressing law firm management issues.
Practice
Mr. Perlstein’s practice has included significant representations of creditors’ committees, bank groups, debtors, trustees and claims acquirers in many bankruptcy and workout cases throughout the United States, including EPIC Associates, AM International, AOV Industries, LTV Corporation, General Development Corporation, SpectraVision, Lomas Financial and the Orange County bankruptcy.
Mr. Perlstein has had significant roles in the drafting of bankruptcy and bank receivership legislation, including amendments affecting repurchase and swap agreements. He has testified before committees of both houses of Congress and presented a paper on bank insolvencies before the Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development in Paris.
Recent Highlights
Mr. Perlstein's recent experience includes:
- Serving as counsel to the debtors in the PSINet and Iridium Chapter 11 proceedings
- Representing Verizon in connection with its agreement with NextWave and NextWave’s dispute with the federal government regarding spectrum licenses
Professional Activities
Mr. Perlstein is a Fellow and Counsel to the American College of Bankruptcy, a past member of the Board of Directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute, a member of the American Law Institute and a member of the American Bar Association Business Bankruptcy Committee, where he is chair of the Subcommittee on Legislation. He appears frequently on continuing legal education panels, including several that recently have addressed issues arising in technology and communications industry bankruptcies. He also regularly speaks on panels concerning law firm management issues in New York, Washington, San Francisco and in Europe.
Honors and Awards
- Recognized as a Visionary in the Legal Times' "Greatest Washington Lawyers in the Past 30 Years"
- Ranked as a Washington DC leader in the area of bankruptcy and restructuring in each edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2005
- Recognized as a leading practitioner of bankruptcy and commercial law in the Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, 6th Edition
- Consistently selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, in the areas of bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights
- Recognized as a leader in insolvency law in Who's Who Legal, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2007
- Listed in Washingtonian magazine's "Top Lawyers" in Washington DC, 2004, 2007 and 2009