Luke A. Barefoot

Luke A. Barefoot is a partner in the New York office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where his practice focuses on restructuring and insolvency-related disputes, with a particular focus on cross-border and international bankruptcy disputes. He represents both debtors and creditors in restructuring matters, particularly contested matters where developing and executing on a litigation strategy can drive outcomes and recoveries. He also is active in the firm’s pro bono practice. Mr. Barefoot joined the firm in 2004 and became a partner in 2013. His recent representations include acting for ESL Investments as purchaser in the Sears Holdings bankruptcy, and for the ad hoc bondholder group in the contested chapter 15 proceedings for Oi S.A. He also has been involved with LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the U.S. in the voluntary reorganization and restructuring of their debt under chapter 11 protection in the U.S.; Alto Maipo SpA, a hydroelectric project in Chile, in its pre-arranged chapter 11 proceedings in Delaware; and an ad hoc group of secured bondholders in connection with the hotly contested, but ultimately successful, restructuring of Stoneway Capital Corp., an Argentine energy company. Mr. Barefoot has been listed as a Leading Individual for Bankruptcy/Restructuring in Chambers USA, a Litigation Star in Benchmark Litigation, as Highly Regarded in Financial Restructuring by IFLR1000, as one of Latin America’s Rising Legal Stars in Latinvex, and as a Restructuring “Rising Star” by Law360, among other distinctions. He received his B.S. with honors in 2001 from Cornell University and his J.D. with distinction in 2004 from Stanford Law School.