James H.M. Sprayregen is Vice Chairman at Hilco Global. Mr. Sprayregen is recognized as one of the country’s outstanding restructuring lawyers. Mr. Sprayregen has extensive experience representing major U.S. and international companies in and out of court as well as buyers and sellers of assets in distressed situations. He also has extensive experience advising boards of directors, and generally representing domestic and international debtors and creditors in workout, insolvency, restructuring, and bankruptcy matters. He has handled matters for clients in industries as varied as manufacturing, technology, transportation, energy, media, and real estate. Chambers & Partners has described Mr. Sprayregen as a “great clients’ lawyer, admired for his ‘unflustered ways.’” In March 2010, Mr. Sprayregen was selected by The National Law Journal as one of “The Decade’s Most Influential Lawyers.”
Mr. Sprayregen was formerly a Restructuring partner in the Chicago and New York offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mr. Sprayregen returned to Kirkland & Ellis in December 2008 after nearly three years with Goldman Sachs, where he was co-head of Goldman Sachs’ Restructuring Group and advised clients in restructuring and distressed situations. The 2009 edition of Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business highlighted Mr. Sprayregen’s return to Kirkland & Ellis after his nearly three years with Goldman Sachs. Mr. Sprayregen was listed as a first tier lawyer practicing in the bankruptcy/restructuring category, and was described as having an “outstanding reputation for complex Chapter 11 cases.” The 2011 edition of Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business recognized Mr. Sprayregen as a key individual, noting that sources refer to him as “a restructuring genius and one of the best strategists in the country.” Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. Sprayregen spent 16 years at Kirkland & Ellis, where he led bankruptcy cases for United Airlines and Conseco, among many others. Some of his recent representative matters include General Growth Properties, Innkeepers USA Trust, Japan Airlines Corporation as U.S. and international counsel, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, MSR Resort Golf Course LLC, Sbarro Inc., Visteon Corporation, Lear Corporation, The Reader’s Digest Association, Corus Bankshares, Inc., Majestic Star Casino LLC, and ION Media Networks, Inc.
Mr. Sprayregen is a frequent lecturer and speaker, and has published numerous articles on insolvency, fiduciary duty, and distressed M&A issues. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He earned a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.