Derek J Baker

Practice Areas

Derek is a partner at Reed Smith and a member of the firm’s Financial Industry Group. He represents major constituencies in workouts, restructurings, foreclosures and bankruptcies throughout the country. These constituencies include institutional lenders, secured creditors, creditor committees, landlords, equipment lessors, and indenture trustees.

He has substantial first chair trial experience in state and federal courts (including bankruptcy courts) addressing varying issues ranging from enforcement of creditor remedies to contested confirmation hearings on plans of reorganization.

Derek's experience also includes the transfer and sale of distressed loan and portfolios and other "non-traditional" exit strategies. He has substantial experience in documenting front-end and forbearance credit transactions, as well as negotiating out-of-court liquidations and counseling creditors on the exercise of state court remedies, including issues relating to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.