Richard G. Mason
Education
- Virginia Commonwealth University, B.S. 1983, Phi Kappa Phi
- New York University School of Law, J.D. 1987, Order of the Coif, cum laude (Annual Survey of American Law)
Richard G. Mason
Richard G. Mason (Ricky) is a senior partner in Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and the chair of the Firm’s Restructuring and Finance Department.
Ricky is a trusted senior leader, advisor and advocate in distressed situations. Over the course of his 35-year career, he has had leading roles in many of the largest and most complex bankruptcies and out of court restructurings in the United States and elsewhere, including, most recently, Delphi Corporation, Kerzner International, Energy Future Holdings, Bristow Helicopters, Hawker Beechcraft, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), LATAM Airlines and Boy Scouts of America.
A recognized leader in the restructuring field, Ricky is the Vice-Chair of the National Bankruptcy Conference, whose primary purpose is to advise the United States Congress on bankruptcy law, a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy, a co-author of Collier’s Bankruptcy Practice Guide and a speaker on insolvency subjects at prominent institutions around the world.
Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers and K&A Restructuring Register identify Ricky as one of the leading restructuring lawyers in the United States and Who’s Who Legal recently named Ricky a Global Elite Thought Leader in Restructurings & Insolvency.
Ricky graduated magna cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1983 with a B.S. in Economics and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor fraternity. Ricky received a J.D. cum laude from New York University in 1987. At NYU, he became a member of the Order of the Coif and was on the staff of the Annual Survey of American Law.
Ricky believes in giving back to the community. A Distinguished Eagle Scout, Ricky is a Chair Emeritus of the Boy Scouts of America’s Greater New York Councils, which serves thousands of young men and women in New York City, and a 2022 recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, the Boy Scouts of America’s highest volunteer recognition. He is also a recent recipient of the American Jewish Committee’s National Human Relations Award and the 2022 honoree for Tina’s Wish, a leading foundation dedicated to early detection of ovarian cancer. Together with his wife Beth and their two children, Ricky founded the Mason Civic League, a 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to providing educational, art and civic support in Hoboken, New Jersey and beyond.
Select Publications
- Corporate Bankruptcy and Restructuring: 2021-2022,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets, February 15, 2022.
- Distressed Mergers and Acquisitions,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, May 23, 2019.
- Corporate Bankruptcy and Restructuring: 2018-2019,
in Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, February 17, 2019.
- Restructuring and Finance Developments - Federal District Court Reinstates Fraudulent Transfer Challenge to Lyondell LBO,
in Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter, Volume 57 Number 6, February 2017.
- Corporate Bankruptcy and Restructuring 2016/2017,
in Columbia Law School’s Blog on Corporations and the Financial Markets, January 20, 2017.
- Co-author, The Chapter 11 Plan,
in Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide (LexisNexis, 2016).
- Post-Confirmation Entities Created Under Restructuring Plans, The "In Pari Delicto" Doctrine & The American Bankruptcy Institute's Commission to Study the Reform of Chapter 11,
in 41st Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy & Business Reorganization, September 16-17, 2015.
- Fiduciary Duties in Chapter 11,
in American Bankruptcy Institute’s 17th Annual New York City Conference, May 14, 2015.
- Sectors showing structural weakness in 2015,
in Financier Worldwide Magazine, March 2015.
- TalkingPoint: Trends In US Bankruptcy,
in FinancierWorldwide.com, December 2013.
- Settlement of Avoidance Actions in Bankruptcy,
in 39th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization, September 18-19, 2013 pg. 283.
- Bidding Procedures - Stalking Horse Protections and Collusion,
39th Annual Lawrence P. King and Charles Seligson Workshop on Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization, September 18-19, 2013 pg. 299.
- Dealmaking in a Distressed Environment,
in The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, April 17, 2013.
- Vote Designation in the Aftermath of "DBSD",
in Best of ABI 2011: The Year in Business Bankruptcy (American Bankruptcy Institute).
- American College of Bankruptcy Best Practices Report: Formation, Function & Obligations of Equity Committees in Chapter 11, 2011,
Committee Report.
