Stephen Hessler

Stephen Hessler serves as Adjunct Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business while leading Sidley Austin LLP's global Restructuring practice, representing debtors, creditors, and investors in complex Chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings across energy, gaming, hospitality, real estate, telecommunications, and financial sectors.

He holds a JD from University of Michigan Law School and a BA from the University of Michigan, with teaching appointments extending to the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton School where he co-founded the Institute for Restructuring Studies.

His research integrates finance, law, and corporate governance with emphasis on restructuring strategies, bankruptcy policy, and critical vendor management, informed by extensive litigation experience and advisory roles including chairmanship of the American Bankruptcy Institute's Chapter 11 Reform Commission (2012-2015).

Major recognitions include:

• Chambers USA ranking (2015-2023) with 2022 citation as "excellent corporate bankruptcy counsel, and a brilliant strategist and tactician"
• IFLR1000 leading lawyer designation (2016)
• Law360 Bankruptcy MVP (2015)
• Wharton Teaching Excellence Award (2019, 2020)

Hessler actively shapes restructuring policy through academic-practitioner collaboration, teaching Booth's Corporate Governance and Activism course (Autumn 2024-2026), and publishing on critical vendor frameworks and cross-border insolvency. His Sidley leadership drives high-stakes acquisitions in distressed scenarios across global markets.