Baker McKenzie adds KWM special counsel to partnership

Baker McKenzie has appointed former King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) special counsel Gavin Rakoczy to the partnership, strengthening its restructuring and insolvency (R&I) team.

“I have long admired the team and strong market position of Baker McKenzie, both in the domestic and global legal market,” Rakoczy said. “It’s an exciting time to join the team, especially given the unpredictability of a post-COVID global economy overlaid with inflationary pressures, which brings with it both challenges and opportunities for Australian corporates and lenders.”

Having been practising for over 15 years, Rakoczy specialises in corporate distress, insolvency and restructuring, with a particular focus on informal solvent workouts, insolvent trading risk, security enforcement strategies, voidable transaction risk, and formal restructuring options. He also has broad experience in drafting and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements, such as forbearance agreements and standstills, settlement and implementation deeds, trust instruments, and recapitalisation, asset sale and off-take agreements.

He has advised various clients across the R&I sector, including insolvency practitioners, companies, boards, banks, and special situation funds. While at KWM, he worked with the R&I team for almost four years.

"Gavin has extensive R&I experience and has had a lead role in many of Australia’s most complicated restructures and distressed situations,” Baker McKenzie national managing partner Anthony Foley said.

Rakoczy joins the firm’s Sydney office.