Bradford J. Sandler

Bradford J. Sandler is the managing partner of the firm’s New York office and a distinguished figure in bankruptcy law and complex reorganizations, celebrated for his extensive expertise and innovative approach to finding value-maximizing solutions to financially distressed situations. As a prominent member of PSZJ’s management and long-term planning committees and co-chair of its renowned creditors’ committee practice group, Brad has built a reputation as a leading authority in efficiently handling financially distressed situations in and out of court across the United States.

With over 25 years of experience, Brad is a trusted advisor to a wide range of clients, including debtors, equity holders, creditors’ committees, acquirers, and fiduciaries such as directors, receivers, and trustees. His career is marked by a commitment to delivering exceptional results in some of the most challenging bankruptcy and restructuring situations.

Brad’s outstanding achievements have earned him widespread recognition within the legal community. The M&A Advisor named him “2025 Legal Advisor of the Year,” Business Insider listed him as one of the top sixteen bankruptcy lawyers in the United States, and he consistently receives top rankings from leading legal rating organizations, including Chambers USA, Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers,” International Financial Law Review’s “IFLR1000” for Bankruptcy & Restructuring, Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and Martindale-Hubbell, which has bestowed upon him its “AV Preeminent Peer Rating”—the highest accolade for ethical standards and legal ability.

Chambers USA, which ranks Brad in its highest “band,” highlights his deep expertise in complex chapter 11 proceedings, noting the following:

“He’s exceptionally good at what he does and is unbelievably hard-working”

“He’s a superb bankruptcy lawyer.”

“Brad is a pleasure to work with, he’s practical, down-to-earth and a problem-solver.”

He’s a “creative, calm, effective lawyer” who is also “quick, smart, and aggressive.”

He’s able to “blend traditional legal skills with commercial negotiating and business acumen.”

Brad’s innovative and aggressive representations have been instrumental in maximizing recoveries for creditors and equity holders across diverse industries, including retail, food and hospitality, entertainment, energy, real estate, financial services, technology, and manufacturing. His recent high-profile committee representations include QVC, Eddie Bauer, Multi-Color Corporation, At Home, Wellmade Performance Flooring, Hooters of America, Village Roadshow, Zips Car Wash, SunPower, Conn’s, Red Lobster, Bed Bath & Beyond, Party City, Cyxtera, David’s Bridal, Cineworld, Washington Prime Group, FedNat Holdings, Sungard, Ascena, J Crew, Ditech Holdings, Corsicana Bedding, Rockdale Marcellus, and the Woodbridge Group. Notably, he served as lead counsel in the LifeCare Hospital cases, achieving a substantial recovery for unsecured creditors and setting a new precedent in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals with a groundbreaking “class skipping” decision. Many of his cases have won awards from prestigious organizations, such as the Turnaround Management Association, The M&A Advisor, and the Global M&A Network.

While Brad acknowledges that bankruptcy is an important tool for addressing financial difficulties, he advocates for it as a last resort. Many of his company-side representations have involved nonpublic distressed situations, during which he successfully worked to restructure the challenged capital structure, avoiding a formal insolvency proceeding.

In addition to serving his clients, Brad is actively involved in national organizations including his fellowship with the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy, and he frequently speaks on insolvency-related topics at conferences hosted by the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton Restructuring and Distressed Investing Conference), the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Bar Association, the Turnaround Management Association, the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors, the American Bar Association, the Credit Research Foundation, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, and the National Association of Credit Managers, among others. He is also a prolific author, contributing insightful articles on insolvency issues, serves on the editorial board of Bankruptcy Law360, and has been interviewed by numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NPR, the Legal Intelligencer, Law360, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Boston Globe, Business Insider, the Athletic (a New York Times company), the New York Post, Financial Times, Vogue, Glossy, and Women’s Wear Daily (WWD).

Brad’s practice actively reflects a results-oriented blend of legal expertise, commercial acumen, creative problem-solving, and a steadfast commitment to achieving value-maximizing outcomes for his clients, solidifying his status as a leader in insolvency and complex reorganizations.