Portrait of Rafael Castellano

Rafael Castellano

Partner

New York

Education

  • J.D., New York University School of Law (2000)
  • B.S. Economics, Cornell University (1997)

Certifications

  • Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US)
  • Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP)

Languages

  • English
  • Spanish

Rafael Castellano is one of the preeminent restructuring lawyers in the United States, with a practice encompassing in-court and out-of-court restructurings, Chapter 11 proceedings, and distressed M&A transactions. He has advised on restructurings totaling over $200 billion in liabilities.

His representations span debtors, secured creditors, creditors committees, and acquirers of distressed assets across the energy, retail, media, and healthcare sectors.

Rafael is a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and an adjunct professor at NYU Law teaching business reorganization.

Bar Admissions

  • New York (2001)

Notable Matters

  • Lead counsel in $4.2B cross-border acquisition of MeridianTech (2023)
  • Defended Fortune 100 client in multi-district antitrust class action

Cases

  • Coastal Holdings v. Vanguard Capital, 2023 WL 1184422 (Del. Ch.)

Professional

  • New York State Bar Association
    • Commercial & Federal Litigation Section — Executive Committee
  • Federal Bar Council

Community

  • United Way Young Leaders Council
  • Chambers USA – Restructuring/Insolvency, Band 1 (2024)

Articles

  • "Privacy by Design in M&A Due Diligence", IAPP Privacy Advisor (2023)
  • "After Twitter v. Musk: Drafting MAE Clauses That Hold Up", Harvard Bus. L. Rev. (2024)

Presentations

  • Keynote, NYU Securities Law Conference (2023)