Emily Geier of Kirkland & Ellis LLP has shepherded distressed companies through some of the largest and most complex restructurings in recent history, including leading the wind-downs of toy retailer Toys R Us and clothing seller Express Inc. in challenging global circumstances, earning her a spot among the bankruptcy attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

Her biggest case:

While Geier worked on the sprawling, $49 billion bankruptcy of Energy Future Holdings early in her career, her biggest and most complicated representation came in the Chapter 11 case of Toys R Us. The company filed for bankruptcy with $5 billion of debt and plans to reorganize its balance sheet, but after dismal sales during the 2017 holiday season, the company made a sharp shift to an orderly liquidation.

"It was an incredible pivot to liquidation and something that I, and I think even my partners, had not really had to grapple with very much in the past," Geier told Law360. "Facing this unavoidable liquidation, and how we would still reach resolution and closure for the parties despite that, was a very big challenge."

Comparing the work on that case to a "general in wartime," Geier said navigating through the crisis helped her grow out of her associate role and more fully embrace her status as a principal attorney with Kirkland.

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