Biography
Robert J. (Bob) Gayda is a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Group.
Bob represents creditors’ committees, special committees, directors and officers, lenders, debtors, distressed asset purchasers and investors in restructurings, whether in or out of court. Bob has experience across a number of industries including hospitality, retail, pharma, crypto, financial services, energy, maritime/offshore, real estate, fintech and mass tort.
Bob has been recognized by Chambers USA where clients noted that he is “hard- working and thorough and always puts clients first” and that he “immediately grasps the key elements of any deal negotiation.” Bob was also selected to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers, recognized by Super Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, and was named as the Number One Auhor in JD Supra’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards Bankruptcy Category. Previously, Bob was selected as a winner of the 7th Annual M&A Advisor Emerging Leaders Awards in the Legal Advisor category (formerly their “40 under 40” awards). Bob is active in the restructuring community, writing and speaking frequently. Bob is the editor of Seward’s Back in (the) Black Blog, which posts weekly.
Some select recent engagements include acting as lead counsel to the creditors’ committees in the Crosby Marine Transportation, Hudson Hotel, and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. cases, representing disinterested directors in QVC and several non- public matters, leading an out of court restructuring for a lender in the renewables space, advising the largest unsecured noteholder in the Office Properties bankruptcy, acting as special bankruptcy litigation counsel to post- confirmation trustees and chapter 7 trustees, and seeking chapter 15 recognition of several foreign proceedings.
Bob serves on the board of directors of the Gladiator Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation which supports brain cancer research and patients, particularly those afflicted with glioblastoma, as well as the board of the Rumson Education Foundation. He is a member of the Turnaround Management Association (NY), the Maritime Bankruptcy and Insolvency Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the US, and a member of the Insolvency Section of the International Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the New York State Bar Association.
Capabilities
Areas of Focus
Credentials
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School
- J.D., 2004
West Virginia University
- B.A., 2001
- summa cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Representative Work
- Acted as special bankruptcy litigation counsel to post-confirmation trustees and chapter 7 trustees
- Advised the largest unsecured noteholder in the Office Properties bankruptcy
- Lead counsel to the creditors’ committees in the Crosby Marine Transportation, Hudson Hotel, and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. cases
- Led an out of court restructuring for a lender in the renewables space
- Represented disinterested directors in QVC and several non-public matters
- Sought chapter 15 recognition of several foreign proceedings
Recognitions
- Lawdragon 100 Leading Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers
- Number One Author in JD Supra’s Readers’ Choice Awards Bankruptcy Category
- Recognized by Chambers USA: Bankruptcy / Restructuring
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Areas of Focus
Credentials
Education
University of Pennsylvania Law School
- J.D., 2004
West Virginia University
- B.A., 2001
- summa cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S.D.C., Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Representative Work
- Acted as special bankruptcy litigation counsel to post-confirmation trustees and chapter 7 trustees
- Advised the largest unsecured noteholder in the Office Properties bankruptcy
- Lead counsel to the creditors’ committees in the Crosby Marine Transportation, Hudson Hotel, and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. cases
- Led an out of court restructuring for a lender in the renewables space
- Represented disinterested directors in QVC and several non-public matters
- Sought chapter 15 recognition of several foreign proceedings
Recognitions
- Lawdragon 100 Leading Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers
- Number One Author in JD Supra’s Readers’ Choice Awards Bankruptcy Category
- Recognized by Chambers USA: Bankruptcy / Restructuring
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch – Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
