About Cullen

Cullen is chair of Cooley’s business restructuring practice and a top advocate in corporate restructuring and financial litigation. She has a diverse practice spanning a range of industries, including private equity, healthcare, life sciences, technology, energy and retail. Cullen regularly represents debtors, creditors’ committees, trustees and foreign representatives in significant bankruptcy matters throughout the US. She is recognized for her strong courtroom advocacy, dealmaking ability and tactical skill. Cullen is noted by Chambers USA as an “extremely powerful presence” and “extremely thoughtful person to have in a case.” She is also highly regarded for her proactive, forward-focused approach to solvency strategy and for providing tactical guidance to Cooley business clients – including public, private and high-growth companies – in all aspects of contingency planning, risk mitigation and business portfolio improvement. 

I combine business strategies with restructuring solutions to help clients capture meaningful advantages.

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Experience

Admissions and credentials

  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • Missouri
  • Virginia

Rankings and accolades

The Legal 500 US: Restructuring (Including Bankruptcy) (2025)

Best Lawyers: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law (2025)

Chambers USA: Bankruptcy/Restructuring – District of Columbia (2025)

Recognized by Turnarounds & Workouts as one of the 15 Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers of 2023

Named to The Deal’s Top Women in Dealmaking 2023 List for Restructuring

American Bankruptcy Institute, 40 Under 40

Restructuring Lawyer of the Year, Global M&A Network’s 13th Annual Turnaround Atlas Awards

Video Q&A

For Cooley’s New Bankruptcy Chair Cullen Speckhart, Her Practice Is Personal

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