With bankruptcy and restructuring work on the upswing, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld hired Kirkland & Ellis debt finance and special situations lawyer Chad Nichols as a corporate partner in Houston.

Nichols, who joined Akin Gump on Monday, focuses on the energy sector, now in distress due to the low price of oil. Akin Gump is one a number of Texas firms with big energy practices that have brought on lawyers for bankruptcy or restructuring work as oil prices declined. And the economic unrest from the coronavirus pandemic is likely creating more demand for restructuring expertise.