Kevyn D. Orr

Kevyn Orr provides strategic crisis management advice, identifying creative approaches to novel or first impression situations with an eye toward developing practical business-oriented solutions. He has practiced in the areas of business restructuring, distressed M&A, corporate governance and decision-making in distressed environments, and complex commercial litigation and settlement negotiations for more than three decades. He is experienced in all aspects of complex and precedent-setting matters.

Kevyn’s recent representation includes counsel for the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Toys “R” Us Property Company I chapter 11 cases. Prior to rejoining Jones Day, Kevyn served as Emergency Manager of the City of Detroit and was charged with restructuring the city’s finances and operations. During his tenure, he oversaw the largest and most complicated municipal bankruptcy proceeding in the nation’s history, and the city successfully restructured $18 billion in debt, reduced overall debt by $7 billion, developed and implemented a multiyear $1.7 billion revitalization plan for city services and operations, streamlined key city operations, helped improve public safety, put the city’s art in a perpetual public trust, and avoided drastic cuts to pension and related retiree benefits. Kevyn received Turnaround Management Association’s Mega Transaction of the Year Award for the City of Detroit, Michigan in October 2015.

At Jones Day, Kevyn has advised Chrysler on its bankruptcy, National Century Financial Enterprises in its bankruptcy and asserting its claims in the health care provider bankruptcies of PhyAmerica Corporation and DCHC/Greater Southeast Hospital, and Laidlaw Corporation in its defense of a $1 billion claim by the purchaser of its environmental cleanup division.

Kevyn is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute.