Kirkland appoints Christine Okike as Restructuring Partner

Kirkland appoints Christine Okike as Restructuring Partner

The young dynamic lawyer is expected to play a vital role in Kirkland further expanding its market-leading restructuring practice.

American law firm Kirkland & Ellis has announced the appointment of Christine A Okike as a partner in its Restructuring Group based in its New York office.

Kirkland & Ellis is the world's largest law firm in terms of revenue.

"Christine is an exceptional young talent, and we're very excited to welcome her to Kirkland's world-class restructuring team," said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland's Executive Committee.

Okike represents debtors, creditors, equity holders, investors, sellers, purchasers and other parties in complex restructuring transactions, including pre-packaged, prearranged and traditional Chapter 11 cases, out-of-court workouts, distressed acquisitions and cross-border proceedings.

She has a broad range of experience serving clients in several industries, including automotive, sports, entertainment, retail, energy, transportation, travel, health care, media and telecommunications.

Okiki, a graduate from the Columbia Law School, was recognized by The M&A Advisor as an Emerging Leader in 2019. Turnarounds & Workouts named her as an Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyer in 2018. In 2017, Okike was inducted into the International Insolvency Institute NextGen Leadership Program and the American Bankruptcy Institute featured her in its inaugural 40 Under 40 initiative.

Christine Okike is a member of the Committee on Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization of the New York City Bar Association, and serves on the board of directors of the Lawyers Alliance for New York, besides being the junior advisory board of Her Justice and the advisory board of Legal Outreach.

Edward Sassower, a restructuring partner and member of Kirkland's Executive Committee, termed Okiki as an "incredibly dynamic and talented" lawyer who would help Kirkland & Ellis further expand its market-leading restructuring practice.