Lawrence A. Larose

Lawrence A. Larose is a partner in the Finance and Bankruptcy Practice Group in the firm's New York office.

Areas of Practice

Lawrence represents major creditors in literally every major municipal restructuring in recent memory, both in and out of court, including the Chapter 9 cases of Detroit, Michigan and Jefferson County, Alabama, the two largest municipal bankruptcies in US history. He also represented the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico, contesting the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico restructuring proposals and advised a group of hedge funds in negotiating the restructuring of $13 billion of debt issued by Puerto Rico's COFINA. He currently represents the Ad Hoc Committee of FGIC - Insured Bondholders in the Title III bankruptcy cases of Puerto Rico and its instrumentalities.

In addition, Lawrence represents major creditors in out of court restructurings of municipal debt issued by Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Atlantic City, New Jersey and Hartford, Connecticut.

Lawrence's extensive municipal finance experience includes the restructuring of a wide-spectrum of municipal debt securities both in and out of court. For example, Lawrence had lead roles in the restructuring of the following:

• Detroit - Water and Sewer Revenue Bonds, Unlimited Tax General Obligation Bonds
• Jefferson County - Sewer Revenue Warrants
• COFINA - Senior Sales and Use Tax Revenue Bonds
• Stockton, CA - Parking Authority Revenue Lease Bonds
• Vallejo, CA - Lease Revenue and VLF Bonds
• Harrisburg and Scranton, PA - Parting Authority Revenue Bonds
• Woonsocket, RI, Atlantic City, NJ and Hartford, CT - General Obligation Bonds

Lawrence also has extensive experience with municipal bond insurance and financial guaranty insurers. Among his most prominent cases he was the lead counsel in the restructuring of MBIA Insurance Corp., the largest financial guaranty insurer in the world, and represented parties in the restructuring of Ambac Assurance Corp., Syncora Guarantee, Inc. and Financial Guaranty Insurance Company. Most recently, Lawrence advised Golden Tree Asset Management LP in negotiating its pending acquisition of Syncora Guarantee, Inc.

Lawrence has written extensively on the unique legal issues faced in municipal restructurings, including unique issues under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code, and is a frequent commentator in the press on these issues.

From 2013 through 2019 The Legal 500 named Lawrence as one of the nation's "Leading Lawyers" in the municipal bankruptcy area and rated his team as "Tier 1." In 2018, he was inducted into The Legal 500 Hall of Fame for being consistently recognized as "an elite leading lawyer" by clients and peers.

Articles

• Co-author, "Cities In Distress: Are There True Alternatives To Ch. 9?," Expert Analysis, Law360, July 13, 2018
• "Michigan Statutory Lien Bill – A Clarification of Existing Law," The Bond Buyer, October 26, 2015
• "Learning the Lessons of Chapter 9," The Bond Buyer, September 14, 2015
• "State Bankruptcies: Cure-All or Bad Medicine for Muni Market?, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review, February 9, 2012
• "Municipal Credit Enhancement: Does It Survive Chapter 9?, New York Law Journal, February 7, 2012
• "Lessons from the Bench: Drafting Municipal Bond Documents," New York Law Journal, December 9, 2010

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• "How would a Pension Obligation Bond fit into the capital stack?" RBC Capital Markets conference focusing on the credit fundamentals and uncertainties of Chicago, Chicago, IL, January 24, 2019.
• "Municipal Finance and Chapter 9 Bankruptcy," video interview with Elizabeth Wiggins of the Federal Judicial Center, Washington, DC, February 7, 2018.
• "Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) Webinar," New York, NY, July 12, 2016
• "The Future of Municipal Restructurings After Detroit and Jefferson County: A Panel Discussion," New York, NY, February 24, 2015
• "Puerto Rico's New Public Corporation Debt Enforcement and Recovery Act—Restructuring Legislation for Commonwealth Instrumentalities Webinar," New York, NY, July 28, 2014

Events

Digital Media