Richards, Layton & Finger Appoints Michael Merchant Chair of Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring and Chad Shandler Chair of Litigation
July 22, 2025
Firm News| Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring| Commercial Litigation| Fiduciary Litigation| Intellectual Property| Trusts & Estates
WILMINGTON, Delaware (July 11, 2025) – Richards, Layton & Finger is pleased to announce that directors Michael Merchant and Chad Shandler have been named to leadership positions within the firm. Mike has been appointed chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring Department, and Chad has been appointed chair of the firm’s Litigation Department.
“Over their decades of practice at Richards Layton, Mike and Chad have distinguished themselves as practitioners and leaders,” said Paul Heath, president of Richards Layton. “I have the utmost confidence in their ability to lead collaboratively and position their teams to deliver outstanding results for their clients.”
Throughout his 25-year career, Mike has represented the full range of participants in bankruptcy cases and corporate restructurings. Mike’s clients encompass biopharmaceutical, bank holding, and telecommunication companies as well as subprime lenders and businesses in the retail and manufacturing sectors. He has extensive experience helping companies facing mass tort exposure to navigate the Chapter 11 process. Mike also serves as a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the Turnaround Management Association, and the American Bar Association.
Chad is an experienced trial attorney who has successfully litigated cases in all of Delaware’s state and federal courts. Chad’s expertise encompasses a variety of practice areas, including complex financial and commercial litigation in the Delaware Superior Court’s Complex Litigation Division (CCLD) and Court of Chancery, trusts and estates litigation, trade secret litigation, and litigation concerning restrictive covenants. During his 26 years with the firm, Chad also has served as trial counsel in arbitration matters filed with various arbitration tribunals and counseled numerous trust companies on fiduciary and regulatory matters.
About Richards, Layton & Finger
Richards, Layton & Finger has been defining Delaware law since 1899. Delaware’s largest law firm and one of its oldest, Richards Layton helps sophisticated clients navigate complex issues and the intricacies of Delaware law. We advise global companies, business partnerships, leading financial institutions, local businesses, and individuals across a wide range of practices, including corporate law, alternative entities, commercial law, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, intellectual property, tax, trusts and estates, commercial real estate, and litigation.