W. Austin Jowers (Austin)

• Represents the ad hoc committee of first lien term loan lenders in connection with the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of APC Automotive Technologies LLC, one of the country’s largest aftermarket suppliers of brake, chassis, exhaust and emissions automotive parts.
• Represents Fortress Investment Group, as first lien lender, in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Craftworks Holdings, LLC, the nation’s leading operator and franchisor of steakhouses and craft beer brewery restaurants in the United States, such as Logan’s Roadhouse, Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant.
• Represents the ad hoc committee of first lien lenders in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Fairway Group Holdings Corp., an iconic New York supermarket chain.
• Represented the ad hoc committee of first lien lenders in connection with the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of Joerns Healthcare, Inc., a leading manufacturer, distributor, and service provider of medical bed frames, therapeutic support surfaces, patient lifts and other durable medical equipment.
• Represented Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, as term loan lender, in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Gymboree Group, Inc., a national children’s clothing retailer operating over 800 stores under the Gymboree, Crazy 8 and Janie & Jack banners.
• Represented Barings Finance, LLC, as agent and term loan lender, in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Hollander Sleep Products, Inc., one of the country’s largest suppliers of pillows, mattress pads and other bedding products to the retail industry.
• Represented AS Graanul Invest as successful purchaser of substantially all of the operating assets of Texas Pellets, Inc. in connection with its chapter 11 cases, including its wood pellet manufacturing facility located in Woodville, Texas.
• Represented Rimrock Capital, as senior lender, in connection with the chapter 11 cases of LakePoint Land, LLC, Georgia’s premier mixed use amateur/youth sporting tournament vacation destination.
• Represented an affiliate of Starwood Energy Group Global, LLC as successful stalking horse bidder for the West Lorain Power Plant (a 545 MW, periodic start, combustion-turbine generating station near Lake Erie) in the chapter 11 cases of FirstEnergy Generation, LLC.
• Represented Fortress Investment Group, as exit lender, in connection with the successful chapter 11 reorganization of RMH Franchise Corporation, the second largest Applebee’s franchisee worldwide, operating 140 restaurants across 15 states.
• Represented Lone Star Funds in its capacity as owner and bondholder in the prepackaged chapter 11 cases of Southeastern Grocers, LLC, one of the largest supermarket companies in the United States.
• Represented the ad hoc committee of first lien term lenders in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Payless Holdings LLC, the largest retailer of specialty family footwear in the western hemisphere.
• Represented Cortland Capital Market Services LLC, as agent to the term loan lenders, in connection with the chapter 11 cases of Boomerang Tube LLC, a leading manufacturer of oil country tubular goods.
• Represented a private equity fund and its portfolio company as purchaser of substantially all of the assets of Canada’s largest payday lender in connection with its Canadian insolvency proceeding under the Companies’ Creditor Arrangement Act (CCAA).

Austin Jowers has extensive experience in bankruptcy matters­­ and is one of the country’s leading attorneys with respect to advising lenders, ad hoc committees and agents in connection with commercial workouts and restructurings. A partner in our Financial Restructuring practice, Austin also regularly represents buyers and sellers in connection with distressed merger and acquisition transactions.  In 2019, Austin was one of fifteen lawyers nationwide included on Turnaround & Workouts’ List of Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers – 2019.

Austin’s restructuring experience includes multi-jurisdictional and cross-border matters and spans a number of industries, including retail, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, consumer lending, infrastructure and energy. Numerous deal teams lead by Austin have won national awards, including:  Joerns Healthcare, Inc. (The M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards 2019 – Healthcare/Life Sciences Deal of the Year), Fairway Markets (The M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards 2017 – Consumer Staples Deal of the Year (Over $100 Million); Global M&A Network Turnaround Atlas Award 2017 – Pre-Pack Restructuring of the Year (Under $1 Billion)), Cooper-Booth Wholesale, L.P. (Turnaround Management Association’s Large Transaction of the Year Award 2015), and Cagle’s Inc. (Turnaround Management Association’s Large Transaction of the Year Award 2013).

Austin has been recognized as a leading bankruptcy lawyer in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon 500, and Georgia Super Lawyers.  Austin is a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, a Director of the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute, the Chair of the Georgia State Bar Bankruptcy Section, and a Master and Executive Committee Member in the Honorable W. Homer Drake Jr. Bankruptcy Inn of Court.  Austin was also the past Chair for the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Annual Southeast Bankruptcy Workshop.

"Austin Jowers is adept at handling an array of matters for both individual and group creditors, as well as frequently advising on distressed transactions. He is thoughtful, attentive to the details and anticipates the direction a case is going to take," according to interviewees (Chambers USA).