Kirkland & Ellis Partner Jonathan Henes Named Honorary Chairperson of Eighth Annual Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation Dinner

Event Reunites Restructuring Attorney with CEO of Masonite Corporation

NEW YORK, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation, a scholarship program that has provided more than $1.2 million in grants to enable children of firefighters and other victims of the September 11th attacks and other disasters to afford higher education, today announced that Jonathan S. Henes, a partner in the Restructuring Group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, has been named Honorary Chairperson of the Foundation's eighth annual dinner. The event is scheduled to be held on Monday, March 22, 2010 at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

The Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation began in response to a terrible tragedy -- the loss of Michael Lynch, a son, brother, fiance, uncle and New York City firefighter, who risked his own life on September 11th in an effort to save others. Facing the ultimate loss, the Lynch family saw an opportunity to help finance the education of young people as a living tribute to the human spirit and the family's collective resolve to respond to adversity with courage, strength, compassion and hope. The goal of the Foundation is to provide the means to help change the world, one person at a time, by building a vision for the future where the students of today become tomorrow's stewards of peace and freedom. Eight years later, the family-run Foundation's focus and resolve is as strong as ever.

"I am honored to have been selected to chair this year's dinner for the Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation, which is the main fundraising event for this important charitable organization," Henes said. "Named in honor of Michael Lynch, a fallen New York City firefighter, the Foundation is run entirely on a voluntary, non-salaried basis. It not only provides students with scholarships so they can afford a higher education, but also teaches them about hope, honor and facing adversity with courage, strength and compassion. The Foundation has granted more than 60 scholarships to deserving recipients since 2002. I am committed to helping the Foundation raise the necessary funds to provide many more scholarships to our future leaders."

Henes, 40, is recognized as one of the nation's leading restructuring lawyers. Among the matters he has worked on in recent years include Masonite Corporation, Citadel Broadcasting, Integra Telecom, ION Media Networks, Tronox, Pierre Foods and Solutia. His work for Wellman, Inc. was recently recognized by the Turnaround Management Association, which selected that restructuring as its 2009 Large Turnaround of the Year. Henes became involved with the Foundation through Fred Lynch, one of Michael Lynch's brothers, chief executive officer of Masonite Corporation and treasurer of the Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation.

"We are very pleased that Jon has agreed to serve as Honorary Chairperson of this year's dinner," Fred Lynch said. "Jon and I built a very close friendship while working together to position Masonite to succeed in the business world. Based on this friendship and our shared value of helping young men and women to reach their goals, I introduced Jon to the Foundation. His efforts to-date supporting and raising money for the Foundation have been remarkable. I cannot think of a person better qualified to help carry out our mission and honor the memory of my brother."

Details about the Michael Lynch Memorial Foundation and the Annual Dinner on March 22, 2010 are available online at www.mlynch.org.

    Contact:
    Media: Michael Freitag, Kekst and Company, 212-521-4800
    Or Kate Kortenkamp, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, 312-862-2890

    All other inquiries: Patrick Lynch, 917-359-9240, [email protected]

SOURCE Kirkland & Ellis LLP