John Sommer Schmidt

Professional profile

John Sommer Schmidt heads up our Restructuring & Insolvency practice group. John specialises in distressed companies, focussing on both reconstruction, including voluntary arrangements, and winding up financially distressed companies and advice to creditors. John has extensive knowledge of and hands-on experience with all aspects of Danish bankruptcy and reconstruction law and also acts as a liquidator, reconstruction administrator and trustee. Among other things, John is a regular assistant in liquidation and bankruptcy cases before the probate court in Aarhus.

John has extensive knowledge about finance law and the law of mortgages and pledges and advises clients on the establishment of, obtaining security in connection with and enforcement of all kinds of charges and secured-creditor rights. John also provides general business advice and conducts litigation.

In addition to his legal training, John also has a background in economics and this combination of skills is the foundation of John's advice, which is business and solution-oriented and focuses on in bancreating value for the client.

Significant cases
Over the years, John has administered some of the largest and most complex bankruptcy estates in Denmark, including often bankruptcy estates with very complex issues of an international/cross-border nature. Among other things, he has been appointed restructuring administrator and subsequently trustee in the listed company Green Wind Energy A/S and its subsidiaries and in Scan Energy A/S and its subsidiaries. John has also assisted in an extensive number of extra-judicial restructurings, including, among others, the restructuring of the listed shipping company TORM A/S and the pipe manufacturer Logstor A/S. Most recently, John is appointed trustee in, among others, the Marselis Ejendomme group, the OW Bunker group which was the world's largest supplier of bunkerfuel for ships before its bankruptcy, and in TOP-TOY which was the biggest toy retailer in the Nordics and operated more than 300 shops and had more than 3,000 employees.

Career and education

Career

Gorrissen Federspiel 2001 -
Partner, Gorrissen Federspiel since 2011

Education

LL.M., University of California, Los Angeles School of Law 2009
Right of audience before the Danish High Court 2007
Admitted to the Danish Bar 2004
Master of Laws, Aarhus University 2001
B.Sc. (jur.), Aarhus School of Business 1998

Language

English

Ratings

John Sommer Schmidt is top-ranked in Chambers Europe, is ranked as 'Leading Individual' and 'Next Generation Partner' in Legal 500 and rated as Market Leader in IFLR 1000. Also, John has since 2016 been in Who's Who Legal: Restructuring & Insolvency.

Publications

Co-author on article on Denmark in ICLG Strategic View - Corporate Restructuring, 2016
Author on: "Denmark" in The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Corporate Recovery and Insolvency published by Global Legal Group Ltd, London, 2007 to 2015
Co-author on: "Challenges for Danish Debtors Seeking to Use U.S. Restructuring Procedures" in INSOL World, Second Quarter 2013

Memberships and Activities

Memberships

Association of Danish Insolvency Attorneys
INSOL Europe
International Bar Association

Activities

Board member, Association of Danish Insolvency Lawyers, 2015 -
Official liquidator and trustee, the Bankruptcy Court in Aarhus, 2014 -
Part-time lecturer of The U.S. Legal System, Aarhus University, 2009 - 2011
Lecturer of Finance Law at Aarhus School of Business, 2002 - 2006