Selendy Gay announced on Tuesday that it has hired Kelley Cornish, a bankruptcy partner from Paul Weiss, bolstering its litigation offerings. According to Bloomberg Law, Cornish brings two decades of experience and an impressive portfolio that includes representation of Walter Energy and fashion retailer SPARC Group.
Cornish commented on her significant career change, highlighting the growing importance of litigation in out-of-court restructurings and Chapter 11 cases, as corporate and capital structures become increasingly complex and adversarial.
The arrival of Cornish signals a recovery for Selendy Gay after the departure of founding partner, David Elsberg, who left last month to start his own firm. Famous for their wide-ranging litigation work, the firm is looking to shore up its market influence in bankruptcy litigation.
Echoing this optimism, founding partner Faith Gay expressed her happiness with the addition of Cornish, describing her as a “female trailblazer” who brings expertise and maturity to their operations. She noted that the increasing acceleration of bankruptcy litigation work necessitates the addition of seasoned players to their ranks.
In the past year, Selendy Gay has attracted two other lateral partners: Rajat Rana and Temidayo Aganga-Williams, a senior investigative counsel for the House Select Committee on the January 6 insurrection.
Founded in 2018 by a team of 10 Quinn Emanuel partners, Selendy Gay serves as a litigation boutique with nearly 80 lawyers. Cornish is expected to begin her tenure with the firm on Feb. 26.