Biography
Mr. Sandler is a member of the firm's Management Committee and Long- term Planning Committee and co-chair of the firm’s renowned and venerable Committee Practice Group.
He has substantial experience representing debtors, equity and creditors’ committees, acquirers, fiduciaries (including receivers and trustees), and other significant parties in interest in complex reorganizations and financially distressed situations, both in and out of court. While acknowledging that bankruptcy is often a viable business tool to fix a troubled company, Mr. Sandler believes that it is a tool of last resort, and many of his company-side representations are out-of-court, non-public representations he successfully worked by right-sizing the company’s capital structure to avoid a formal insolvency proceeding.
Mr. Sandler is known for bringing creative and aggressive representation to maximize unsecured creditor or equity recoveries. His recent committee representations include Cineworld, Sungard, Ascena, J Crew, Ditech Holdings, Corsicana Bedding, Rockdale Marcellus, Tuesday Morning, Gymboree II, Payless I and II, Shopko, the Weinstein Company, Bon-Ton Department Stores, Woodbridge Group, BCBG Max Azria, Aeropostale and Sports Authority. Mr. Sandler was lead counsel in the LifeCare Hospital case that led to a substantial recovery to unsecured creditors after making new “class skipping” law in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. His industry experience includes consumer good/retail, entertainment, food/restaurants, manufacturing, technology, financial services, agricultural.
Many publications have acknowledged Mr. Sandler’s restructuring work. He has been listed among the nation’s top restructuring attorneys in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013. He holds an “AV Preeminent Peer Rating,” Martindale-Hubbell's highest recognition for ethical standards and legal ability, and was named to Thomson Reuters’ “New York Super Lawyers” list as well as “Delaware Super Lawyers” list. He is ranked among the nation’s top Bankruptcy/ Restructuring attorneys by Chambers USA, which states that he “boasts deep expertise in the representation of creditors' committees in complex Chapter 11 proceedings," and that he “blend[s] traditional legal skills with commercial negotiating and business sense." Chambers USA also notes that Mr. Sandler has been described as “a creative, calm, effective lawyer who is also quick, smart and aggressive.”