Peter M. Friedman

Professor Peter Friedman is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, LLP. His practice focuses on bankruptcy counseling and litigation on behalf of major parties in interest in high stakes, complex financial restructurings. Professor Friedman is listed as a leading bankruptcy lawyer in Chambers USA for his “involvement in some of the most high-profile and complex matters of recent years,” noted as a highly regarded and “terrific” lawyer in the Legal 500 (U.S.), and was named one of the 40 Under 40 leading professionals in the restructuring, finance and M&A fields by The M&A Advisor in 2010. Professor Friedman participated in the representation of the United States of America and the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry as secured lender and acquirer in Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies. He advised Lyondell Chemical Company in confirmation of a chapter 11 plan that restructured more than $25 billion in debt. He has also represented debtors across a wide spectrum of industries including Xerium Technologies, Northwest Airlines, Enron, WorldCom, St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers, Kasper, A.S.L., Armstrong World Industries and Viasystems, Inc. in contested confirmation hearings, substantive consolidation litigation, and a wide variety of contested matters and adversary proceedings. Professor Friedman also represented creditors and equity holders in mass tort bankruptcies including Owens Corning, USG, W.R. Grace, and Federal Mogul. In 2008, Peter was recognized with the Burton Prize for Legal Achievement by the Burton Foundation and the Library of Congress for his article: "Approval of Management Equity Plans After Chapter 11," and he has written numerous other articles. Professor Friedman also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Howard University School of Law, where he teaches a class on debtor-creditor relations and is a frequent panelist and guest lecturer on bankruptcy issues. Active in pro bono matters, Professor Friedman was counsel of record before the U.S. Supreme Court for six leading immigration and resettlement agencies who appeared as amici curiae on the prevailing side in Crawford v. Suarez Martinez and in federal habeas corpus proceedings in a capital case, Allridge v. Dretke. After graduating from law school, Professor Friedman clerked for the Honorable Joel M. Flaum of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He has also worked in the White House Counsel's office and the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and served as Acting Legal Advisor to the Cable Services Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, where he advised members of the Commission on the largest telecommunications mergers in history. Mr. Friedman graduated from Northwestern University School of Law, cum laude and Order of the Coif, where he was an editor of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. His law school comment on judicial recusal is cited in Wright & Miller's Federal Practice and Procedure treatise, among other places. He received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College with honors.