Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has hired a duo of bankruptcy lawyers from Foley & Lardner to further bolster its insolvency and restructuring litigation capabilities.

Erika Morabito and Brittany Nelson join as partners in the firm’s Washington DC office, bringing with them four decades of combined experience representing clients such as unsecured creditor committees, ad hoc groups, shareholders and debtors in high-profile US bankruptcy matters. Some of those proceedings have included Toys R Us, Sears, Brooks Brothers and Samuel Jewelers.

John Quinn, the firm’s founder, said: “[Morabito and Nelson] are elite bankruptcy practitioners who have a strong track record of success. Our bankruptcy practice has an impressive roster of talent. The addition of Erika and Brittany makes the group even stronger. Their diverse experiences and stellar reputations will help us continue our success nationally.”   

Morabito held a number of leadership roles at Foley, including as vice chair of its national litigation department and vice chair of its business litigation and dispute resolution practice, working on a range of commercial litigation cases in state and federal courts. She also currently serves on the board of directors for the American Bankruptcy Institute. Nelson, meantime, spent just shy of a decade at Foley, the last three years of which as partner. She also previously spent just over four years as an associate at legacy firm Patton Boggs.

Morabito said: “There is no better platform to unite sophisticated bankruptcy lawyers and top-notch litigators in the world of fast-paced and complex restructurings and large Chapter 11 filings [than Quinn Emanuel].”

Other US firms have been seeking to strengthen their restructuring businesses this year. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, for instance, hired a duo of restructuring partners in February, including another Foley departure – New York-based Richard Bernard – as well as Los Angeles-based chair of Robins Kaplan’s corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice Scott Gautier.

The same month Dechert hired London restructuring lawyer Adam Plainer from Weil Gotshal & Manges to co-chair its global financial restructuring group, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett made a double European restructuring hire in London with the arrival of partners Adam Gallagher from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and James Watson from Kirkland & Ellis.