
I am an ardent advocate for my clients focused on developing lasting partnerships built on trust, collaboration and a steadfast commitment to excellence.
About Olya
Olya has extensive experience in business restructuring and represents a broad range of actors in complex national and cross-border restructuring proceedings and financial litigation matters. She regularly advises private and public companies and their boards of directors on a wide range of solvency-related matters, working closely with clients to develop new and creative solutions for overcoming challenges that arise in distressed situations. A frequent speaker on international insolvency topics, Olya serves as one of the International Insolvency Institute’s delegates to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group V and is a member of the World Bank’s Insolvency and Creditor/Debtor Regimes Task Force.
Olya’s representative matters include serving as:
- Counsel to Brii Biosciences in the Chapter 15 and Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act proceedings of VBI Vaccines
- Counsel to Gamida Cell Ltd. in its Chapter 15 proceedings and Gamida Cell Inc. in its Chapter 11 proceedings, for which Cooley was awarded the Cross-Border Restructuring of the Year award by M&A Advisors at the 19th Annual Turnaround Awards
- Counsel to PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals in its Chapter 11 proceedings
- Counsel to Lucira Health in its Chapter 11 proceedings for which Cooley was awarded a Small Company Turnaround/Transaction of the Year award by the Turnaround Management Association
- Counsel to the plan administrator of Mahwah Bergen Retail Group (formerly Ascena Retail Group) and its 63 affiliated debtors in connection with the wind down of their bankruptcy estates in the US, Europe and Asia
- Counsel to Ascena Retail Group and its 63 debtor affiliates in their Chapter 11 proceedings
- Counsel to the official committee of unsecured creditors of Mallinckrodt in connection with its Irish insolvency proceedings
- Counsel to the official committee of mesothelioma claimants in the Chapter 11 case of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary LTL Management
- Counsel to the official committees of unsecured creditors of 24 Hour Fitness, Toys R Us, White Stallion Energy, Avenue Stores and True Health Diagnostics
- Counsel to the creditors, members of the official committees of unsecured creditors and other actors in the bankruptcy cases of Peabody Energy, Westmoreland Coal Company, Alpha Natural Resources, Armstrong Energy, Cloud Peak Energy, Cambrian Holding Company and Blackjewel
- Counsel to Zealand Pharma in its $23 million acquisition of Valeritas, for which Cooley was awarded the Mid-Markets Cross-Border Turnaround of the Year award by Global M&A Network at the 13th annual Turnaround Atlas Awards
- Counsel to the liquidating trustee of Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) in his prosecution of the directors and officers (D&O) litigation against 150+ defendants and 1,200+ adversary proceedings against other actors that brought a total recovery of more than $19.4 million to HDL’s bankruptcy estate
Olya’s recent speaking engagements include:
- Panelist, “Dealing with DAOs and De-Fi in International Proceedings,” International Insolvency Institute (III) 25th Annual Conference, São Paulo, Brazil, June 2025
- Discussion leader, “International Insolvency Tourism: Post-Purdue and -Serta, Are Companies Going to Look to Overseas Insolvency Laws?” Restructuring Roundtable with the Creditors Rights Coalition and Cooley, May 2025
- Moderator, “The Intersection of Maritime Law and Insolvency,” III/UNCITRAL panel, May 2025
- Panelist, “International Venue Selection,” International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) 22nd Annual Spring Conference, April 2025
- Presenter, “Nonconsensual Third-Party Releases in Chapter 15 Cases,” “Global Perspectives” podcast, III, February 2025
- Panelist, “Where Jurisdiction Reigns Supreme: Planning a Cross-Border Proceeding Post-Purdue,” American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) International Caribbean Insolvency Symposium, January 2025
- Presenter, “UNCITRAL Working Group V Update,” Dublin International Disputes Week, September 2024
- Presenter, “UNCITRAL Working Group V,” “Global Perspectives” podcast, III, May 2024
- Speaker, “Introduction to UNCITRAL’s Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency,” III’s Model Laws@Work (an educational series developed by restructuring professionals, judges and professors to introduce UNCITRAL’s Model Laws and issues related to their enactment), March 2024
- Moderator, “Is COMI a Problem? A Discussion of the Recent Proposal to UNCITRAL,” III North American Regional Conference, January 2024
- Panelist, “UNCITRAL: Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Insolvency-Related Judgments,” 5th IWIRC Brazil Congress, August 2023
- Presenter, “What Technology Transactions Attorneys Need to Know About Bankruptcy,” Cooley webinar, July 2023
- Panelist, “International Alternative Forms to Chapter 11: Pros and Cons of Filing Outside of the US,” ABI New York City Bankruptcy Conference, May 2023
- Moderator, “Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Insolvency-Related Judgments: Implementing Strategies and the Guide to Enactment,” III/UNCITRAL Conference, April 2023
- Presenter, “Cooley Rx: An Ounce of Prevention – Proactive Planning for Healthcare and Life Sciences Companies,” Cooley webinar, April 2023
- Moderator, “Current Issues in International Asset Tracing,” IWIRC Fall Conference, October 2022
- Panelist, “Cross-Border Jeopardy,” III NextGen Program annual conference, September 2022
- Presenter, “DIP Financing and Cash Collateral – Behind the Curtain,” The World Bank Group, September 2022
- Presenter, “Asset Sales Under 11 USC § 363: Issues and Practical Applications,” The World Bank Group, November 2021
- Panelist, “Protection of Rights and Enforcement of Remedies During Economic Downturn,” American Bar Association Federal Procurement Institute Conference, June 2020
Olya’s recent publications include:
- Co-author, “Mitigating Adverse Impacts of Tariff Hikes: Effective Strategies for Businesses,” Cooley alert, March 2025
- Co-author, “At the Intersection of ERISA and the Bankruptcy Code: Withdrawal-Liability Disputes in Chapter 11 Cases,” ABI Journal, September 2024
- Co-author, “Chapter 15 Loophole? Implications of the Ruling in Purdue Pharma on Recognition of Foreign Nonconsensual Third-Party Releases,” INSOL International Technical Paper Series, July 2024
- Co-author, “UNCITRAL Judgements Model Law: Five Years On,” International Corporate Rescue, August 2023
- Co-author, “COVID-19: A Catalyst of Modernization Across Jurisdictions,” ABI Journal, July 2020
- Project editor and author, “Global Responses to Limit the Economic Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic,” Global Insolvency
Education
New England Law, Boston
JD, dean’s list, 2011
Randolph-Macon Woman's College
BA, Economics, Music Performance (Piano), summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2008
Court admissions
US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Rankings and accolades
Chambers USA: Bankruptcy/Restructuring – District of Columbia (2025)
American Bankruptcy Institute: 40 Under 40 (2024)
Super Lawyers – Rising Stars
Virginia Business Magazine, Legal Elite – Bankruptcy/Creditors' Rights
Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America: Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, 2024 – 2025
Memberships and affiliations
International Insolvency Institute, NextGen Program co-chair
International Women's Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)
American Bankruptcy Institute, International Committee newsletter editor
International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL)