WilmerHale today announced that Hugh Murtagh has joined the firm as a partner and chair of its transactional Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice. Based in New York, Murtagh advises companies, creditors, sponsors, financing sources, purchasers and other stakeholders across the restructuring process, with particular experience assessing litigation exposure, managing risk and resolving disputes.
“Hugh understands that restructuring questions rarely stay confined to one lane; they can implicate governance, financing, litigation and a company’s broader commercial objectives all at once,” said Anjan Sahni, WilmerHale’s Managing Partner. “His range and judgment will help our clients make clear decisions when the legal and business stakes are moving quickly.”
“Hugh brings a command of capital structures together with keen understanding of a client’s available leverage, optimal process and risk mitigation,” said Judith Hasko, Chair of WilmerHale’s Transactional Department. “That combination will be especially useful to clients evaluating difficult choices, whether they are pursuing a negotiated solution, enforcing rights or preparing for a contested proceeding. Together with our bankruptcy litigation capabilities, we will be well positioned through Hugh’s leadership to advise clients comprehensively on these matters.”
“I am thrilled to start working with Hugh. His experience and character will provide strong leadership in the practice and superlative counsel to the firm’s clients,” said George Shuster, a partner in the firm’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice and Chair of its Debt Finance Practice.
WilmerHale’s Transactional Department advises public and private companies, entrepreneurs, boards, investors and financial institutions through the full business lifecycle. Its lawyers work across corporate, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, emerging companies and venture capital, technology transactions, tax, executive compensation, private equity and related disciplines, combining industry knowledge with the firm’s litigation and regulatory capabilities to address transactions and the disputes, governance questions and other risks that can accompany them.
Murtagh’s practice spans consensual refinancings, out-of-court workouts, liability management transactions, Chapter 11 matters, cross-border insolvency proceedings, creditor enforcement and alternative wind-downs. He also counsels boards and senior management of financially troubled companies on fiduciary duties, corporate governance and related issues.
Murtagh joins a Transactional Department that has continued to add senior talent across complementary areas this year. In 2026, the department has welcomed Sports & Gaming Co-Chair Teresa Johnson, M&A partners Bill Choe, Ben Fackler and Eric Levine, and tax partner Jeffrey Tolin, broadening its capabilities in sports, governance, strategic transactions and transactional tax.
In the past two weeks, WilmerHale has also welcomed a number of new and returning lawyers, including David Cohen in national security, regulatory enforcement and cross-border matters; Charlie Lightfoot in international arbitration; Jeremy Kosky in commercial disputes; Sam Waldon in securities litigation and enforcement; and Pat Moore in government-facing litigation, crisis management and regulatory matters.
“WilmerHale offers a compelling opportunity to find solutions to restructuring problems with colleagues whose experience cuts across transactions, disputes, regulation and governance,” said Murtagh. “I am eager to help clients map the available paths, assess the risks behind each one and pursue the course that best serves their long-term interests.”
Before entering private practice, Murtagh served as a law clerk to Judge P. Kevin Castel of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. He earned his JD, magna cum laude, from New York University School of Law and his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He regularly writes on bankruptcy and restructuring issues for legal publications.