Bio

Brendan Best is a partner on Varnum’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors’ Rights Team. His practice focuses on representing senior secured lenders, debtors, other creditors and other stakeholders in complex Chapter 11 restructurings, out-of-court workouts and insolvency-related transactions and litigation. Brendan has over 20 years of experience representing clients in insolvency-related matters across a wide array of industries including manufacturing, automotive, building supply and service, energy, oil and gas, health care, food service, gaming, hospitality, construction and real estate. Brendan serves as outside commercial counsel for clients, advising them on commercial issues with customers, suppliers and other parties. Brendan also counsels buyers, sellers, lenders and other stakeholders in complex troubled company transactions, both out of court and in Section 363 bankruptcy sales. Brendan is also a senior Chapter 11 bankruptcy practitioner and litigator who has successfully represented clients in bench trials over issues including adequate protection, plan confirmation, valuation and other matters, as well as non-discharge ability actions, avoidance actions and other debtor-creditor matters in state and federal courts, including automotive tooling and construction lien litigation. He is a frequent writer and speaker on restructuring, workouts and bankruptcy topics. Illustrative examples of Brendan’s work include serving as: debtor’s counsel in the successful Chapter 11 restructuring of Greektown Casino; plan sponsor’s counsel in the successful restructuring of University Physician Group; counsel to pre-petition agents and DIP lenders in several large automotive Chapter 11s; counsel to numerous sellers and buyers in out of court and in court distressed asset sales; and counsel to more than ten Chapter 11 official committees of unsecured creditors across the country. In recognition of his achievements in bankruptcy and restructuring, Brendan is routinely honored as a top practitioner by publications including DBusiness© magazine, Best Lawyers in America® and Michigan Super Lawyers®. He is a board member and immediate past president of the Turnaround Management Association’s Detroit chapter and is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.