About Yelena E. Archiyan

Yelena Archiyan focuses her practice on commercial restructuring and reorganization matters, including out-of-court workouts, asset sales, liquidations and bankruptcy-related litigation. She helps creditors in bankruptcy proceedings recover assets, obtain relief from the automatic stay, and negotiate plan provisions. Yelena also represents debtors and has experience in the energy, oil and gas, precious metals, restaurant, and retail sectors.

Experience leads to a depth of knowledge

Yelena served as a law clerk to the Honorable Russell F. Nelms of the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. This experience gave her the unique opportunity to not only observe how judges consider and decide matters before them, but also play a key role in the decision-making process by recommending dispositions to the court. Yelena uses this experience to help guide clients through the judicial process.

Representative Experience

  • Creditor representation
  • Represent midstream oil and gas companies in Chapter 11 proceedings and potential Chapter 11 filings throughout the United States. *
  • Represent REITs and landlords in Chapter 11 proceedings throughout the United States. *
  • Represented leading national midstream energy pipeline company in the Chapter 11 sale and liquidation of Philadelphia Energy Solutions, the owner and operator of the Point Breeze and Girard Point oil refineries, located on an integrated 1,300-acre refining complex in Philadelphia, in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. *
  • Represented a group of unsecured creditors collectively holding in excess of $20 million of claims in a Chapter 11 of a carbon alloy steel producer in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas. *
  • Debtor representation
  • Represented a Houston-based real estate investment trust (REIT) in its Chapter 11 filing, helping the company successfully close a $135 million exit facility, in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
  • Represented one of the largest pork producers in North America in a Chapter 11 in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
  • Represented Republic Metals Corporation, one of the largest refiners of gold, silver and precious metals in North America, in a Chapter 11 sale and related litigation of over $100 million in competing claims to a $225 million precious metal asset pool in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. *
  • Represented the Manhattan branch of a Beijing-based fine dining restaurant chain in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. *
* Experience prior to Katten

News

Presentations and Events

Practices
Industries
Education
  • New York University School of Law, LLM
  • Michigan State University College of Law, JD
  • Aquinas College, BS
Bar Admissions
  • Texas
  • New York
  • Illinois
Court Admissions
  • US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • US District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Western District of Texas
  • US District Court, Eastern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Southern District of New York
Community Involvements
  • International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Turnaround Management Association
  • Armenian Bar Association
Languages
  • Russian
Recognitions
Recognized or listed in the following:
  • Best Lawyers in America
    Ones to Watch
    Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2021–2025
  • Armenian Bar Association
    Rising Stars Award, 2022
Award Methodologies