John Rapisardi

John J. Rapisardi, Chair of O’Melveny & Myers Global Restructuring Practice, has 40 years of domestic and international debtor and creditor restructuring experience across a variety of industries, including automotive, health care, public infrastructure projects and investments, and retail. Over the last five years, John has led O’Melveny’s ongoing representation of the Government of Puerto Rico with respect to all aspects of the financial restructuring of Puerto Rico’s debt obligations—marking the largest municipal restructuring in recent history. At the height of the 2008 Economic Crisis, John served as lead outside counsel to President Obama’s Auto Task Force in the restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler, and the automotive supplier Delphi. During that period of time, he also served as lead debtor counsel for LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest petro chemical producers with subsidiaries across the world, which emerged from chapter 11 within 15 months. He advised in every aspect of its bankruptcy restructuring of more than US$25 billion in debt. John also served as co-lead counsel in representing the Governor of California in the PG&E chapter 11 case. Among his current matters, John represents the State of Hawaii in connection with the wildfires in Maui. 

John is co-author of The PRC Enterprise Bankruptcy Law: The People’s Work in Progress (Beard Group, Inc., 2008) and for the past twenty five years, has been the regular bankruptcy columnist for the New York Law Journal. He has authored or co-authored over 100 articles, and has written and lectured extensively on a wide swath of bankruptcy and restructuring topics.

John began his career clerking for the Chief Judge of US Bankruptcy Court, Southern District, New York, Honorable Edward Ryan. John earned his LL.M. from New York University School of Law. He received his J.D. from Pace University and his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University.