Arent Fox LLP has appointed partner Andrew I. Silfento lead its New York office as Managing Partner. Mr. Silfen will take over the New York leadership post from partner Michael S. Blass, who is stepping down after having led the office’s recent growth during his seven years in the position.

“Michael has done a great job leading an office where attorneys collaborate on high-end matters, while fostering a culture of transparency,” said Managing Partner Matthew J. Clark. “I look forward to continuing to work with Michael as a leader at this firm and on the Executive Committee.”

Over the last decade, Arent Fox’s New York office has tripled in size and added numerous market-leading practices, while the firm’s lawyers have routinely worked on high-profile matters. This includes serving last year as counsel on the municipal bond financing deal that will enable the World Trade Center to add a fourth tower, counseling the Brooklyn Nets in connection with the team’s new training facility, and advising MedEquities Realty Trust on a series of health care facility acquisitions and financings.

Mr. Blass will continue to advise clients on corporate transactions and regulatory matters involving health care providers. He often leads a team that conducts regulatory and corporate due diligence and coordinates change of ownership procedures for state licensure, certificate of need, and Medicare and Medicaid certifications.

“This appointment is a great testament to Andrew’s leadership skills,” said Chairman Mark M. Katz. “Andrew has worked hard to deliver creative and successful results for the firm’s clients in connection with bankruptcy and restructuring matters and strategic litigation, while successfully fostering a collaborative approach across practice groups, disciplines, and offices that has resulted in longstanding allegiances with firm clients and has continuously demonstrated a commitment to the highest order of practice excellence and ethical standards. Having been a leading voice at the firm for a number of years, this appointment is a natural progression.” Mr. Silfen will continue to focus his practice on all aspects of financial restructuring and lead the firm’s nationally recognized Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring practice, while also serving on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Silfen is nationally known for his work on behalf of creditors’ committees and indenture trustees and has extensive experience in financial restructuring, distressed situations, and bankruptcy issues. His practice includes counseling companies’ boards of directors and management on insolvency matters, crisis management, and financial and operational restructurings. He is an officer and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors and the New York Institute of Credit’s executive board. In 2014, Mr. Silfen led a team from Arent Fox that successfully advised the official committee of unsecured creditors in Cengage Learning Inc. on the year’s largest Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Founded in 1991, Arent Fox’s New York office is home to more than 80 attorneys that span the firm’s corporate, litigation, and regulatory capabilities. The office combines a blend of entrepreneurial spirit and traditional practice groups, while working seamlessly with Arent Fox lawyers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC to provide innovative and integrated services across a range of industries and practice areas.