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Cadwalader Enhances NY-LON Corridor Secured Creditor Capabilities With Financial Restructuring Partners Shai Schmidt and Jakeob Brown

March 02, 2026

Cadwalader has added Financial Restructuring partners Shai Schmidt in New York and Jakeob Brown in London. This marks a significant expansion of the team in both major restructuring markets and is the next step in Cadwalader’s strategy to provide best-in-class service to secured creditors in restructuring and alternative credit.   

“We’re thrilled to welcome Shai and Jakeob to Cadwalader,” said Co-Managing Partner Pat Quinn. “As we continue to grow our firm’s lending practices to meet market demand on both sides of the Atlantic, the additions of Shai and Jakeob will materially bolster our ability to provide our creditor clients with support throughout the investment life-cycle.”

Co-Managing Partner Wes Misson added, “Cadwalader continues to develop a multi-faceted restructuring practice. Jakeob and Shai’s additions reflect our strategic expansion from a traditional bankruptcy practice to a modern “special situations” practice that covers the full spectrum of in- and out-of-court restructurings and liability management transactions. We expect our new restructuring partners will add great value to our clients on both sides of the Atlantic in their most challenging situations.”

Shai represents ad hoc lender and noteholder groups, asset managers, hedge funds and CLOs in a wide range of in-court and out-of-court transactions and disputes, including in some of the largest liability management exercises (LMEs) and Chapter 11 cases in recent years. These include lender groups in First Brands, Saks Global, Pretium Packaging, Vibrantz Technologies, Newfold Digital, Tropicana, Quest Software, Wellness Pet, Oregon Tool and Better Health Group. Shai joins Cadwalader from a premier boutique firm with a focus on creditors’ rights matters, where he practiced in its New York office.

“The addition of Shai in New York both deepens our Financial Restructuring practice and, leveraging his significant experience with market-leading CLO managers, greatly enhances our already formidable reputation with these investors at a time when they are increasingly leading lender groups. We are working hard to build this practice brick-by-brick to be the leading shop for secured creditors, and Shai is a critical brick in that wall,” said Financial Restructuring Co-Chair Doug Mintz.

Jakeob represents ad hoc committees, hedge funds, asset managers, CLOs, and institutional and secondary investors in relation to contentious and non-contentious restructurings, special situations, liability management, private credit and formal insolvency processes, including associated litigation. Jakeob has handled numerous cross-border and domestic debt restructurings, coercive and distressed exchange offers, and private credit transactions. He has significant experience in the energy, oil and gas sector. He joins Cadwalader from a global law firm, where he practiced in its London office.

Financial Restructuring Co-Chair Bevis Metcalfe noted, “Jakeob’s broad skillset and creditor focus is perfectly suited to our European Restructuring and Special Situations practice, which fuses deep knowledge of broadly syndicated and high-yield debt instruments with the latest restructuring and liability management technology. Jakeob’s stellar market reputation and experience are a big draw for our CLO, bank and credit fund clients and they navigate an extended credit-cycle downturn.”

The additions of Shai and Jakeob come on the heels of a significant uptick in activity for Cadwalader’s Financial Restructuring practice. In The Deal’s latest bankruptcy and out-of-court league tables, Cadwalader ranked as #2 on the global list of firms serving as counsel to creditors in out-of-court restructurings. On that same list, Cadwalader also ranked as the #6 firm for counsel to distressed companies.

“I’m excited to join Cadwalader,” Shai said. “I’ve long been impressed with the firm’s reputation for client service and innovation, and I believe my restructuring practice and the clients I represent in LMEs and in-court bankruptcies will benefit tremendously from Cadwalader’s world-class restructuring, debt-finance and other capabilities.”

Jakeob added, “I represent market participants on the full credit lifecycle and I feel Cadwalader will serve as an excellent platform to help my clients navigate an increasingly sophisticated and fragmented landscape of restructuring, private credit, capital solutions and complex finance. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground and getting started.”  

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