KOLJA VON BISMARCK heads Sidley’s Restructuring group in Munich. He has extensive experience advising borrowers, secured and unsecured creditors, distressed investors, private equity funds as well alternative credit providers on the restructuring of financially distressed companies, predominantly in a cross border context. He also regularly advises management teams and boards of directors regarding their duties in financially distressed situations.
Kolja has been involved in many major cross-border financial restructurings with a German COMI and is constantly rated and widely considered as one of the leading German practitioners in his area of practice.
Kolja has received acknowledgement from numerous industry ranking guides:
- The Legal 500 2023 — Ranked as “Leading individual” for Restructuring and Insolvency (Germany), with a client telling the publication “Kolja: Good eye for the essentials, excellent in conducting negotiations, very commercial approach, I would unreservedly recommend him at any time.”
- Chambers Europe 2023 — Ranked in Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency (Germany), where clients praised him as “an industry giant and a very experienced counterpart. He is very structured and aware of what to focus on”. They also stated that “he is impressive in handling difficult conversations and takes charge of the situation immediately.”
- Chambers Europe 2022 — Ranked in Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency (Germany), where a client comments that “he has the expertise for the complex and large cases and from the personal level he has the necessary gravitas to bring together the different parties in restructuring.”
- Chambers Europe 2021— Ranked in Band 1 for Restructuring/Insolvency (Germany), where sources commented that “commercially he is very smart” and that he is “one of the most renowned lawyers for restructuring and insolvency law.”
- JUVE Handbook 2021/2022 — Recognized as a “Restructuring Thought Leader,” with competitors describing him as “one of the leading German restructurers.”
- The Best Lawyers in Germany 2022 — Ranked for Restructuring and Insolvency law.
- Handelsblatt Best Lawyers 2021 — Listed among the “best lawyers” for Restructuring and Insolvency Law.
- Who’s Who Legal 2021 — Ranked in the field of Restructuring & Insolvency 2021.
- Who’s Who Legal 2019 — Named a “Thought Leader” in Restructuring and Insolvency Law.
- Wirtschaftswoche 2020 — Ranked as a leading individual in Restructuring.
- IFLR1000 2020 — Recognized as “highly regarded.”
Prior to joining Sidley in 2017, Kolja was a senior partner in the banking practice of another international firm.
He is fluent in German, English and French.