Theodore B. Sylwestrzak

Ted Sylwestrzak is a member of Dickinson Wright’s Banking and Finance and Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Groups and serves as the firm’s Banking and Finance Practice Group Chair. For more than 35 years, he has represented banks, financial institutions, and other lenders in complex commercial lending, restructuring, and insolvency matters. Clients value Ted for his practical business judgment, proactive approach, and ability to develop creative solutions that advance transactions and workouts.

Ted’s practice encompasses secured and asset-based lending, syndicated and cross-border credit facilities, leveraged finance, structured finance, and post-petition financing, as well as complex restructuring, workout, and bankruptcy matters. He is particularly well known for his work in the automotive industry, where he regularly advises lenders on workouts, bankruptcies, and related arrangements, including accommodation agreements and access and security agreements.

Ted is consistently recognized as a leading banking and finance attorney by Chambers USA (Band 1), The Best Lawyers in America, Michigan Super Lawyers, and DBusiness Magazine. In 2019, he was named Detroit “Lawyer of the Year” for Banking and Finance Law by The Best Lawyers in America. He also serves on the board of the Detroit Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association, where he is co-chair of its Programming Committee.

• Represents banks, financial institutions, and other lenders in secured and asset-based lending transactions, including complex commercial finance matters across a broad range of industries
• Advises lenders in restructurings, workouts, insolvency proceedings, and bankruptcy matters, developing practical strategies to preserve and maximize collateral value
• Has extensive experience representing lenders in automotive finance, including workouts, bankruptcies, accommodation agreements, and access and security agreements
• Serves as lead counsel to administrative agents in syndicated, multibank, and cross-border credit facilities
• Represents administrative agents and lenders in complex workout, restructuring, and bankruptcy proceedings involving distressed borrowers
• Advises lenders on leveraged finance, structured finance, post-petition financing, out-of-court liquidations, foreclosures, and lender liability matters

• Moderator, “Managing the Troubled Automotive Supplier – The OEMs Unique Perspective,” Turnaround Management Association Detroit Chapter, April 2022
• Moderator, “Automotive Update 2022: Opportunities and Challenges Facing The Tech-Focused Automotive and Mobility Industry,” Turnaround Management Association Detroit Chapter, January 2022
• Moderator, “Automotive Update 2021: Opportunities and Headwinds Facing the Tech-Focused Automotive and Mobility Industry,” Turnaround Management Association, June 2021
• Presenter, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Accommodation Agreements But Were Afraid to Ask,” Turnaround Management Association Webinar, October 2020
• Presenter, “Restarting the Auto Supply Chain: Risks and Challenges,” Turnaround Management Association Webinar, April 2020
• Co-Author, “Managing Uncertainty Through Financial Crisis Requires Proactive Guidance,” Dickinson Wright Client Alert, March 2020