Pepper Hamilton recently changed the leadership and locus of its bankruptcy practice, positioning itself to take advantage of an approaching surge in bankruptcy activity that many experts say is inevitable.

The Philadelphia-based firm has named David B. Stratton, managing partner of its Wilmington, Del., office, and Robert S. Hertzberg, a partner resident in the Detroit and New York offices, as co-chairmen of the firm’s corporate restructuring and bankruptcy practice group. The change was announced late last month.