They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40 - Evan Hill of Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Evan Hill

Age: 40

Law Firm: Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Practice Area: Bankruptcy & Restructuring

Title: Partner

Location: New York

Law School: Fordham University School of Law

Please describe two of your most substantial, recent wins in practice.

Some of the most complex Chapter 11 restructurings in recent years have arisen in the mass torts space. I played a leading role in restructuring Endo International, which had to address $8 billion of debt, trillions of dollars of mass tort claims, and billions of dollars of tax claims.

I worked with a highly skilled team to devise a strategy to pursue a Section 363 sale of Endo’s business. This strategy is notable because it disarmed many objections to Endo’s restructuring that could be pressed by creditors. Ultimately, the pressure exerted by the sale process forced consensus. Following intensive mediation deftly led by retired bankruptcy Judge Shelley Chapman, we reached settlements with all major stakeholders and pivoted to an overwhelmingly consensual plan of reorganization.

I also recently represented Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder of 23andMe, in her efforts to acquire 23andMe through Chapter 11. This representation was notable because we convinced the debtors to reopen a previously closed auction. Ultimately, Ms. Wojcicki won the auction and achieved court approval over objections from certain state AGs. This success was unprecedented and particularly meaningful because of Ms. Wojcicki’s focus on the public good, customer choice, and medical research.

What is the most important lesson you learned as a first-year attorney and how does it inform your practice today?

As a first-year attorney, it can be challenging to find your footing and integrate effectively into any firm setting, especially deal teams. Above all else, I found that forming a proactive mindset is critical to succeeding.

Proactivity comes with having a keen sense of responsiveness, anticipating next steps, and communicating often and effectively with clients and other team members. Through proactive communication as a junior attorney, I undoubtedly gained a more fulsome and nuanced understanding of the matters I was working on and found new and possibly unexpected ways to contribute. This is in contrast to a mindset in which a junior attorney diligently completes an assignment, turns it in, and then waits for what comes next.

Naturally, a junior associate wants to do great work and will focus intently on producing the best work product they can. However, the trick I learned is to focus on not just producing a quality work product but also to prioritize your personal growth and team integration throughout any matter or task you are given, especially early on in your career. Those lessons and traits I have honed over time have shaped me into a more curious, creative, and adaptable restructuring attorney who can guide my teams through any matter.

How do you define success in your practice?

To me, success equates to achieving extraordinary results for my clients. This is, of course, easier said than done. Achieving success requires a client-focused mindset at all times, effective collaboration across multiple disciplines, and oftentimes a healthy dose of innovation.

Restructuring in particular also can be very complex, often resembling a multi-dimensional chess game where stakeholders with differing (if not diametrically opposed) interests are in competition over limited assets. Because the stakes in restructuring matters for my clients are incredibly high, where their very survival could be on the line, success requires a multifaceted mindset where creativity, collaboration, and resilience work together to bridge seemingly intractable divides to achieve successful outcomes.

What are you most proud of as a lawyer?

The practice of law is a team sport. On complex restructuring matters, I routinely collaborate with colleagues across a variety of practice areas—including corporate/M&A, banking, capital markets and litigation—each of which can play critical roles in achieving a successful outcome for the client. I pride my innate ability to provide seamless advice to clients, no matter the issue and discipline.

I feel most proud when the collaboration (amongst my teams, with clients and with other legal professionals) results in an extraordinary outcome for the client. This is especially meaningful in restructuring work, where a client’s business and hundreds or even thousands of jobs often are on the line. This desire to effectively collaborate is critical to successful restructuring results and has made me a more thoughtful and intuitive leader.

Who is your greatest mentor in the law and what have they taught you?

I have had a number of invaluable mentors over the years who have taken time out of their busy schedules to focus on my development to help shape me into a better lawyer. The one mentor that played the greatest role in my professional development is Jay Goffman.

Jay was the global head of Skadden’s corporate restructuring department when I joined Skadden in 2014 through his retirement in 2020. Jay is a distinguished leader in the restructuring industry, having pioneered quick, efficient “prepackaged” bankruptcy cases in the 1990s. I worked closely with Jay on many transactions during my formative years as a lawyer, where he trusted me to take on leadership roles and provided me with many opportunities to grow, learn, and ultimately lead transactions early on in my career.

Most fundamentally, he taught me to never stop looking for creative solutions to even the most intractable disagreements. He believed that there was always a path to consensus and knew that consensual outcomes provided the best pathway to saving businesses and jobs. This outlook — always find the deal — has become an important aspect of the way that I practice law today, which has led my clients to successful restructurings that have saved numerous companies around the world.

Tell us your two favorite songs on your summer music playlist.

Two songs high on my summer playlist are “Jacked Up” by Weezer and “Antihero” by Taylor Swift. These are currently two of my daughters’ favorite songs, so they got a lot of airtime in the car and during play time.

Evan Hill of Cravath and his daughters on a spring day walking The Wharf in Washington, DC.

Photo Illustration: Jonathan Hurtarte/Bloomberg Law; Photo courtesy of Evan Hill.

Editor’s note: Evan Hill was a partner with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom when he was nominated and selected for this award. He lateraled to Cravath, Swaine & Moore in August.