Mr. Connolly's primary area of practice is in the representation of debtors and creditors' committees in large Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Mr. Connolly has been involved in cases across the country in a number of different industries, including manufacturing, transportation, finance, defense contracting and space and technology. He has appeared in courts in Delaware, North and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, California, Ohio, Louisiana, West Virginia and New York.
Mr. Connolly has represented parties in interest in major Chapter 11 cases that include Delta Air Lines, Refco, Inc., Enron Corp., Zale Corporation, Einstein-Noah Bagel, Inc., AmeriServe and Winn-Dixie. Mr. Connolly is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a director of the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute. He has been selected as a leading insolvency practitioner by Chambers & Partners, and he is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers magazine. He has also been actively involved in the bank crisis, representing bank-holding companies and the officers and directors of bank-holding companies in litigation with bankruptcy trustees. He has represented purchasers of assets in cases across the country.
- Represents a defense contractor in its Chapter 11 proceedings in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Represents the officers and directors of a bank-holding company in the successful defense of breach of fiduciary duty claims in U.S. District Court in South Carolina.
- Successfully represented the officers and directors of a failed bank holding company in obtaining dismissal of all claims on standing grounds and obtaining affirmance of the district court ruling in the eleventh circuit court of appeals.
- Currently represents a major satellite launch company as a Chapter 11 debtor in a case in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Serves as counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors in the case of a large non-bank financial institution.
- Currently acts as trustee (and plan administrator) in a large Chapter 11 case in San Jose, California.
- Represented a major mortgage company as a Chapter 11 debtor in a case in Wilmington, Delaware.
- Represented a competitor with a significant patent claim against Delphi.
- Represented certain hedge funds and other entities that deposited assets with affiliates of a global financial services company in that company’s bankruptcy case.
- Involved in Alston & Bird’s representation of a major commercial airline as special counsel, relative to pension plan and employee benefit issues.
- Served as co-counsel for a global textile supplier and its affiliates in their bankruptcy cases pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Served as co-counsel to the ad hoc committee of the holders of senior secured notes in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of a major manufacturer of ready-to-assemble furniture.
- Served as co-counsel for the official committee of unsecured creditors in the cases of a leading manufacturer of textile products and its affiliates pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Served as co-counsel to the debtor in the bankruptcy case of a leading manufacturer of private label disposable diapers in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Served as counsel for the official committee of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy cases of the leading chain of retail bagel stores and its affiliated debtors in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona.
- Served as counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy case of a major regional transportation company and its affiliated debtors in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Represented the Enron Corp. Examiner in all aspects of the examination, including, but not limited to, litigation involving discovery, disputes relating to the scope of the examination, fee applications and other matters involving the investigation.
- Represented creditors, purchasers and other parties in interest in a number of cases throughout the United States, including companies in the grocery, food services, air transportation, electronics and automotive supply industries.
- Involved in representing parties with claims against the FDIC and/or the RTC as the receiver for insolvent financial institutions throughout the Southeast.
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Twenty-one Alston & Bird practices have been listed in the 2013 Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. These include Antitrust; Banking & Finance; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Capital Markets: REITs; Construction; Corporate/M&A; Energy; Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation; Environment; ERISA Litigation; Government: Government Relations; Health Care; Immigration; Intellectual Property; International Trade; Labor & Employment; Litigation: General Commercial, including White-Collar and Securities Litigation; Outsourcing; Privacy & Data Security; Real Estate; Tax.
May 24, 2013
In the Press
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Dennis Connolly was quoted in The Deal Pipeline in an article discussing companies that purchase a debtor to infuse more capital into the business—only to end up back in bankruptcy court.
January 8, 2013
In the Press
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One hundred and forty-seven Alston & Bird attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The publication is universally regarded as among the few definitive guides to legal excellence, and its rankings are based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 36,000 leading attorneys cast almost 4.4 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas.
September 18, 2012
In the Press
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June 7, 2012
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January 3, 2012
In the Press
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September 12, 2011
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July 5, 2011
In the Press
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June 23, 2011
In the Press
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March 9, 2011
In the Press
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August 30, 2010
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"Current Issues With Respect to Safe Harbors for Swaps and Repo Agreements," Norton Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law, 2012 Edition.
2012
Publications
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February 2011
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“Twombly/Iqbal Pleading Requirements in Preference and Fraudulent-Transfer Cases,” ABI Journal, July/August 2010.
July/August 2010
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July/August 2010
Publications
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"Current Approaches to Substantive Consolidation: Owens Corning Revisited," Norton's Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law, February 2009.
February 2009
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"Section 363 Revisited: The Limitations on 'Free and Clear' Sales," Norton Bankruptcy Law Adviser, Issue No. 11, November 2008.
November 2008
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"X Marks The Spot: Contractual Interpretation of Indenture Provisions," Norton Journal of Bankruptcy Law and Practice, Vol. 17, No. 6 (2008).
2008
- Former Advisory Board of ABI/Tulane (Emory) University School of Law Bankruptcy Litigation Skills Program.
- Past Chair of the Board of the Bankruptcy Section of Atlanta Bar Association
- Listed in the Best Lawyers in America in Bankruptcy in Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, 2005-2012 editions
- Selected in 2003-2012 as a leading insolvency practitioner by Chambers & Partners USA
- Noted as a “Georgia Super Lawyer” in Atlanta Magazine, 2004-2012 editions
- Listed in the Guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, 2006-2012
- Listed in Who’s Who Legal: USA, 2012
- Listed in Georgia Trend’s Legal Elite, 2006-2012