Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is pleased to announce that the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has appointed Michael E. Wiles, a Debevoise partner from 1987 to 2014, as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York at Bowling Green.

"Mike is an accomplished and talented lawyer who has been an invaluable member of the Debevoise team for more than 35 years,” said Michael W. Blair, Presiding Partner at Debevoise. “While we will certainly miss Mike, we are extremely proud of all he has accomplished during his tenure at Debevoise, and we have no doubt that he will be an outstanding bankruptcy judge.”

Mr. Wiles practiced first as a commercial litigator and, beginning in 1989, was increasingly focused in the area of bankruptcy, where he represented debtors and creditors in a large number of complex Chapter 11 cases.

Mr. Wiles led Debevoise litigation teams representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Pillowtex, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, and other companies in their Chapter 11 cases. He also represented creditors in many other cases in New York, Delaware and other jurisdictions, including cases involving Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, Enron, Lyondell and others.

Mr. Wiles is a graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Law School, where he served on the Moot Court Board of Directors and was awarded the Harlan Fiske Stone prize for best oral argument in the 1977 Moot Court Competition. Mr. Wiles joined Debevoise following graduation from law school in 1978.

Mr. Wiles officially will assume his duties on March 3, 2015 in a private ceremony. He succeeds retired Southern District Bankruptcy Judge James Peck.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. The firm’s commercially savvy lawyers regularly lead strategic transactions and complex disputes for world-class clients.