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Morgan Lewis
Frost-Davies

Julia Frost-Davies

Partner

julia.frost-davies@morganlewis.com

Boston Phone +1.617.951.8422 Fax +1.617.345.5054

One Federal St.//Boston, MA 02110-1726//United States

With more than 25 years’ experience, Julia Frost-Davies focuses her practice on the representation of creditors in complex Chapter 11 cases. A seasoned commercial litigator, she counsels clients facing commercial and bankruptcy litigation and appeals, and regularly represents investors and lenders throughout the capital structure on all aspects of restructuring and related litigation, including debtor-in-possession financing, distressed M&A transactions, claim and plan negotiation and litigation, and out-of-court workouts. Julia works with companies in a variety of sectors and industries including energy, retail, municipal bonds, and financial services.

A fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy, Julia is routinely ranked by leading legal publications, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, The Best Lawyers in America, LawDragon 500, SuperLawyers, and Turnarounds & Workouts, which named her one of 15 outstanding restructuring lawyers nationally in 2020. She is a frequent panelist and speaker for the American Bankruptcy Institute and is the co-chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Northeast Bankruptcy Conference. 

Currently, Julia co-leads the firm’s Disability Awareness Lawyers Network and the Transforming the Next Generation team, part of the firm's Mobilizing for Equality Task Force. Previously, she was a member of our firm’s COVID-19 Loan Program Task Force, working on a cross-practice team to advise clients and colleagues on all aspects of COVID-19-related federal loan programs. Julia is a founding board member and director of The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tina’s Wish).

selected representations

  • Creditors in energy and project finance restructurings both in and out of court, including Agilon Energy Holdings II, LLC (Bankr. S.D. Tex.), Frontera Holdings (Bankr. S.D. Tex.), noteholders in Minnesota State Court receivership of biomass powerplant, and confidential out-of-court workouts
  • First-lien and debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders with more than $2 billion in holdings in Energy Future Holdings and related cases (Bankr. D. Del.)
  • Prepetition, DIP, and exit lenders in numerous retail cases including Ascena, Tailored Brands, Centric Brands, Century 21, Stein Mart, Inc., Forever21, Brooks Brothers, Nine West Holdings, Charming Charlie, BonTon, Tops, Gymboree, True Religion, Rue21, BCBG, Golfsmith, Total Hockey, and Gander Mountain
  • UMWA Health and Retirement Funds in numerous Chapter 11 cases including Alpha Natural Resources, Arch Coal, Peabody Energy, and Walter Energy Inc.
  • Majority holder of municipal bonds in out-of-court and in-court proceedings, including charter schools and senior living facilities
  • Non-insider shareholders in Sears Holdings Corp. et al. v. Tisch et al. (Bankr. SDNY)
  • Prepetition lender in In re Herald Hotel Assocs. (Bankr. SDNY)
  • Cash-flow lenders in MPM Silicones, LLC et al. (Bankr. SDNY)
  • Anadarko and Kerr-McGee in Tronox v. Anadarko (Bankr. SDNY)
  • Agent for senior secured lenders of Spansion Japan Ltd. in cross-border insolvency proceedings
  • Major creditor and committee chair in connection with Delta Financial Corporation Chapter 11 case
  • Major creditors in Washington Group, Republic Steel, Genuity, Havens Steel, IT Group, Beneco, Delphi, and Geneva Steel Chapter 11 cases

Awards and Affiliations

Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer, Turnarounds & Workouts (2020)

Fellow, American College of Bankruptcy

Recommended, Finance: Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate, The Legal 500 US (2015, 2016, 2022)

Recognized, Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers (2020)

Recognized, Lawdragon 500 Leading US Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers (2020, 2022)

Recognized, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Boston, The Best Lawyers in America (2020, 2022, 2023)

Recognized, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Boston, The Best Lawyers in America (2022, 2023)

Ranked, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Massachusetts, Chambers USA (2019–2022)

Rising Star, IFLR1000 Financial and Corporate (2014, 2017–2022)

Rising Star, IFLR1000 United States (2018–2020) 

Top 40 Under 40, Boston Business Journal

Recognized, Massachusetts Super Lawyers 

Member, Bankruptcy Editorial Advisory Board, Law360 (2019)

Member, American Bankruptcy Institute

Member, American Bar Association

Member, Boston Bar Association

Member, Massachusetts Bar Association

Member, Women’s Bar Association

Managing editor, New England Law Review

Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
  • US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • US District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Education

  • New England Law, 1995, J.D., summa cum laude
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1990, B.A.

Sectors

  • Energy
  • Retail & Ecommerce
  • Financial Services

Services

  • Bankruptcy & Restructuring
  • Litigation, Regulation & Investigations

Regions

  • North America

Events

6/9/2017 - PLI’S Environmental Regulation 2017: Hot Topics, Regulatory Developments, and Practical Guidance for Corporate Compliance

News

8/4/2022 - Meet 16 Lawyers Whose Bankruptcy Battles, from Revlon to JCPenney, Are Setting Them Up for a Boom in Business, Insider
1/14/2022 - 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers, Lawdragon
12/29/2020 - Morgan Lewis Partner Julia Frost-Davies Recognized as ‘Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer’
12/1/2020 - Distressed Daily: Brick-and-Mortar Retail May Not Be Dead Yet, Bloomberg
7/23/2020 - The Lawdragon 500 Leading US Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers, Lawdragon
7/8/2020 - Top Bankruptcy Cases of 2020: Midyear Report, Law360
4/24/2020 - Small Biz Bankruptcy Rules Come Just in Time for Many, Law360
3/25/2019 - Morgan Lewis Lawyers, Professional Staff Named to Law360 2019 Editorial Advisory Boards
11/14/2018 - Julia Frost-Davies Named American College of Bankruptcy Fellow

Publications

6/10/2021 - Assumption and Rejection of Midstream Contracts in Bankruptcy
1/5/2021 - LawFlash: Spending Bill Revives Paycheck Protection Program for US Small Businesses
1/5/2021 (Updated 1/26/2021) - Spending Bill Revives Paycheck Protection Program for US Small Businesses
June 2020 (Updated October 6, 2020) - Navigating PPP Loans in M&A Transactions
April 13, 2020 (Updated July 29, 2020) - CARES Act and Federal Reserve Offer Economic Assistance to Stabilize US Economy
April 28, 2020 (Updated June 25, 2020) - Debtors Need Not Apply? Continuing Developments on the SBA’s Authority to Deny PPP Loans to Debtor Applicants
April 2020 - United States: Access to Bankruptcy Courts and Federal Stimulus in the Wake of COVID-19, INSOL International