Adrienne Walker Featured in Q&A on Restructuring Strategy

Foley & Lardner LLP partner Adrienne Walker is featured in the Corporate Counsel Business Journal article, “Restructuring as Strategy: Managing Risk, Protecting Value, Navigating Change.”

In the Q&A, Walker shared insights on how policy shifts, regulatory uncertainty, and financing changes are transforming the landscape for financially distressed companies. She emphasized the importance of restructuring early, strategic stakeholder management, and maintaining transparency and trust throughout complex reorganizations, particularly in highly regulated sectors.

“Policy volatility is driving today’s uncertainty,” Walker explained, highlighting tariff policy and lingering supply chain disruption from the pandemic as weighing on manufacturers and potential deep Medicaid cuts as concerns for businesses in the health care industry.

Asked when executives should consider restructuring, Walker said when a business is under pressure, the sooner the better. “When indicators like shrinking liquidity, tightening covenants, regulatory trouble, or unexpected litigation begin to surface, that’s the time to engage,” she continued. “Early action creates room to negotiate with creditors, divest non-core assets, or restructure operations strategically. If companies wait until liquidity is gone, they lose leverage, and options narrow quickly.”

Discussing her recent arrival to Foley, Walker emphasized the complex needs of her restructuring clients within the heavily regulated sectors she works across, including health care and education.

“They demand regulatory insight, transactional support, and the ability to pivot fast,” she added. “Foley has that depth and agility. The firm’s culture of advocacy, training, and service also really resonated with me. It’s a place where I can practice at the highest level—and where values are lived, not just stated.”