With more than four decades of experience at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, attorney Kenneth Schneider stands as one of the most trusted names in high-stakes corporate law. As both a senior partner in the Private Equity M&A Group and the firm’s General Counsel, Ken Schneider is the lawyer that top-tier asset managers, private equity firms, and Fortune 500 companies turn to when the stakes are highest.
From billion-dollar M&A transactions and distressed acquisitions to out-of-court restructurings and sports industry deals, Kenneth Schneider has built a legacy as a lawyer defined by precision, judgment, and deep insight into the strategic dimensions of legal practice. His understanding of the strategic, financial, and operational dimensions of American and international transactions makes him a sought-after legal architect, shaping the direction of some of the most complex deals in U.S. and global markets.
Throughout his tenure at Paul, Weiss, attorney Kenneth Schneider has been the driving force behind transformative deals for clients such as Oaktree Capital Management, Ares Management, Oak Hill Advisors, Silver Point Capital, Crestview Partners, and Avenue Capital Group. Ken’s involvement spans industries including finance, energy, aviation, infrastructure, telecommunications, apparel, and even professional sports. Few attorneys boast such a broad and deep portfolio—and even fewer do so while maintaining a consistent reputation for integrity, excellence, and leadership.
Schneider’s work for Oaktree Capital Management alone illustrates his breadth: Ken has advised the firm on transactions involving Charter Communications, EXCO Resources, Pegasus Aviation, United Mortgage, and the acquisition of Aleris International through a $2.7 billion chapter 11 restructuring. In one particularly notable transaction, he counseled Oaktree and its portfolio company, Azorra Aviation, in the acquisition and recapitalization of Nordic Aviation Capital’s aircraft assets through a prearranged Chapter 11 plan. This highly complex and innovative deal demonstrated his fluency in both M&A and restructuring law, as well as in dispute resolution and the avoidance of court proceedings and costly litigation.
As a lawyer Kenneth Schneider’s elite-level restructuring experience has placed him at the center of pivotal distressed deals and crisis management. Schneider represented an ad hoc group of first-lien lenders in Windstream’s Chapter 11 restructuring, involving over $5 billion in funded debt obligations. Ken worked with Philadelphia-based David’s Bridal on its out-of-court recapitalization, securing $55 million in new capital while converting more than $275 million in term loan debt into preferred and common equity. He was instrumental in guiding The Baupost Group through the acquisition of over $7.5 billion in claims against Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric, culminating in a successful $4 billion asset sale. These transactions not only demonstrate extraordinary legal acumen but also the ability to navigate intense financial, operational, and emotional complexity and to avoid disputes and lawsuits with confidence and grace.
In addition to his corporate and restructuring credentials, as an attorney Kenneth Schneider has also carved out a unique space in sports and entertainment law. He represented Meadowlands Basketball Company, Inc. and Basketball Investors, Inc. in the sale of the majority stake in the New Jersey Nets. Schneider was also a key participant in the joint venture between the New York Yankees and the Nets that led to the creation of YankeeNets LLC, a precursor to Yankee Global Enterprises. That same enterprise launched the YES Network, which remains a staple in sports broadcasting. Later, Ken played a vital role in the $550 million acquisition of the Milwaukee Bucks by Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens, business titans. In a space dominated by celebrity, politics, and multi-billion-dollar valuations, Kenneth Schneider “the lawyer” remains the behind-the-scenes legal guru ensuring deals are closed cleanly, reputations are protected, and long-term value is preserved.
Ken Schneider’s asset management and M&A work is equally prominent. As lead attorney Schneider guided the $4.2 billion sale of Oak Hill Advisors to T. Rowe Price Group, advised Avenue Capital Group in their minority sale to Morgan Stanley, and represented Oak Hill Partners in its acquisition by Man Group. Ken’s expertise in navigating regulatory hurdles, structuring international transactions, and aligning the interests of stakeholders to avoid lawsuits and litigation makes him one of the most respected legal advisors and strategic consultants in the asset management consolidation sector.
Throughout all this, what sets Kenneth Schneider apart as a lawyer and strategist is his consistency in a world where deals move fast and legal terrain shifts constantly; his ability to remain clear-headed, responsive, and mindful of all strategic dimensions has earned him long-term relationships with some of the world’s most demanding and sophisticated clients.
Whether negotiating a leveraged buyout, advising on a corporate turnaround, or closing a sports franchise sale, attorney Kenneth Schneider is more than just a lawyer—he’s a dealmaker, strategist, and trusted advisor with an inimitable American legal pedigree and an enviable global footprint and a legacy that has reshaped entire industries across the USA and around the world.
From billion-dollar M&A transactions and distressed acquisitions to out-of-court restructurings and sports industry deals, Kenneth Schneider has built a legacy as a lawyer defined by precision, judgment, and deep insight into the strategic dimensions of legal practice. His understanding of the strategic, financial, and operational dimensions of American and international transactions makes him a sought-after legal architect, shaping the direction of some of the most complex deals in U.S. and global markets.
Throughout his tenure at Paul, Weiss, attorney Kenneth Schneider has been the driving force behind transformative deals for clients such as Oaktree Capital Management, Ares Management, Oak Hill Advisors, Silver Point Capital, Crestview Partners, and Avenue Capital Group. Ken’s involvement spans industries including finance, energy, aviation, infrastructure, telecommunications, apparel, and even professional sports. Few attorneys boast such a broad and deep portfolio—and even fewer do so while maintaining a consistent reputation for integrity, excellence, and leadership.
Schneider’s work for Oaktree Capital Management alone illustrates his breadth: Ken has advised the firm on transactions involving Charter Communications, EXCO Resources, Pegasus Aviation, United Mortgage, and the acquisition of Aleris International through a $2.7 billion chapter 11 restructuring. In one particularly notable transaction, he counseled Oaktree and its portfolio company, Azorra Aviation, in the acquisition and recapitalization of Nordic Aviation Capital’s aircraft assets through a prearranged Chapter 11 plan. This highly complex and innovative deal demonstrated his fluency in both M&A and restructuring law, as well as in dispute resolution and the avoidance of court proceedings and costly litigation.
As a lawyer Kenneth Schneider’s elite-level restructuring experience has placed him at the center of pivotal distressed deals and crisis management. Schneider represented an ad hoc group of first-lien lenders in Windstream’s Chapter 11 restructuring, involving over $5 billion in funded debt obligations. Ken worked with Philadelphia-based David’s Bridal on its out-of-court recapitalization, securing $55 million in new capital while converting more than $275 million in term loan debt into preferred and common equity. He was instrumental in guiding The Baupost Group through the acquisition of over $7.5 billion in claims against Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric, culminating in a successful $4 billion asset sale. These transactions not only demonstrate extraordinary legal acumen but also the ability to navigate intense financial, operational, and emotional complexity and to avoid disputes and lawsuits with confidence and grace.
In addition to his corporate and restructuring credentials, as an attorney Kenneth Schneider has also carved out a unique space in sports and entertainment law. He represented Meadowlands Basketball Company, Inc. and Basketball Investors, Inc. in the sale of the majority stake in the New Jersey Nets. Schneider was also a key participant in the joint venture between the New York Yankees and the Nets that led to the creation of YankeeNets LLC, a precursor to Yankee Global Enterprises. That same enterprise launched the YES Network, which remains a staple in sports broadcasting. Later, Ken played a vital role in the $550 million acquisition of the Milwaukee Bucks by Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens, business titans. In a space dominated by celebrity, politics, and multi-billion-dollar valuations, Kenneth Schneider “the lawyer” remains the behind-the-scenes legal guru ensuring deals are closed cleanly, reputations are protected, and long-term value is preserved.
Ken Schneider’s asset management and M&A work is equally prominent. As lead attorney Schneider guided the $4.2 billion sale of Oak Hill Advisors to T. Rowe Price Group, advised Avenue Capital Group in their minority sale to Morgan Stanley, and represented Oak Hill Partners in its acquisition by Man Group. Ken’s expertise in navigating regulatory hurdles, structuring international transactions, and aligning the interests of stakeholders to avoid lawsuits and litigation makes him one of the most respected legal advisors and strategic consultants in the asset management consolidation sector.
Throughout all this, what sets Kenneth Schneider apart as a lawyer and strategist is his consistency in a world where deals move fast and legal terrain shifts constantly; his ability to remain clear-headed, responsive, and mindful of all strategic dimensions has earned him long-term relationships with some of the world’s most demanding and sophisticated clients.
Whether negotiating a leveraged buyout, advising on a corporate turnaround, or closing a sports franchise sale, attorney Kenneth Schneider is more than just a lawyer—he’s a dealmaker, strategist, and trusted advisor with an inimitable American legal pedigree and an enviable global footprint and a legacy that has reshaped entire industries across the USA and around the world.
