Dr. Viktor Braun

Associate, New York

Biography

Overview

Viktor is an associate in the Firm's Financial Restructuring and Insolvency group in New York.

Viktor's experience includes advising international banks, corporations, security trustees, agents and administrators on cross-border insolvencies, financial and corporate restructurings and administrations

Prior to joining White & Case Viktor worked in the London office of a leading international law firm and at a turnaround consultancy in Germany.

Bars and Courts
Solicitor (England and Wales)
New York State Bar
Education
BA (Hons)
Law and Business
University of Warwick
LLM
Commercial Law
London School of Economics
Dr rer pol
Hamburg University of Technology
Languages
German
Spanish
English

Experience

Seadrill
Represented the coordinating committee of senior lenders, with over US$7.4 billion of secured debt, in the restructuring of oil drilling company Seadrill by way of Chapter 11. The transaction was awarded as the Cross Border Turnaround of the Year (over US$5 billion) at the Turnaround Atlas Awards 2019.

Maritime Loan Portfolio
Represented Cross Ocean and Fortress in 2019 on the acquisition of a distressed shipping loan portfolio (worth over US$900m)

General Ore
Represented senior lenders in the restructuring and refinancing of a US$805m revolving credit facility.

Oi
Represented Oi S.A, a Brazilian telecommunications company, in its restructuring of over US$19 billion of debt, as part of the biggest ever filing for Recuperação Judicial (akin to a Chapter 11) in Brazil. The transaction was awarded Restructuring Deal of the Year at the IFLR Americas Awards 2019.

Torm
Advised a group of key lenders on the USD 1.4 bn restructuring of Torm A/S, a Danish shipping company, by way of a scheme of arrangement. The restructuring involved a mandatory write-down of debt in return for warrants, an optional exchange of debt into shares, an asset contribution by Oaktree (in exchange for the majority of shares in TORM) and the provision of a new working capital facility.

DTEK
Advised the Bank of New York Mellon as note trustee and principal paying agent in connection with the restructuring of senior notes issued by DTEK, a Ukranian energy group The overall transaction encompassed three distinct English schemes of arrangements from early 2015 to late 2016.

NWR
Advised mining company New World Resources on its comprehensive, cross-border balance sheet restructuring (including a UK Scheme of Arrangement, a Rights Issue and a Placing on the London, Warsaw and Prague Stock Exchanges), which won "2014 Industrial Goods and Basic Resources Deal of the Year" at M&A Advisor's Turnaround Awards.

CTL
Advised syndicate of senior lenders on the restructuring of the indebtedness of the Polish-headquartered logistics group CTL.

Algeco
Advised Wilmington Trust as administrative agent as part of the restructuring of a US$800 million PIK Loan issued by a subsidiary of the Algeco Scotsman group by way of a scheme of arrangement.

Primorsk
Represented agent of senior lenders holding over $500 million of secured loans in attempted out-of-court restructuring and chapter 11 proceedings of Primorsk International Shipping Limited.

Publications

Global Garden Products Scheme – Focus on Detailed Disclosure, White & Case LLP Client Alert, August 2016 (co-author)

DTEK scheme sanctioned on the basis of a change of governing law of New York law bonds, White & Case LLP Client Alert, May 2015 (co-author)