Drawing on the firm’s strong cross-border platform the Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP capital markets team is well known for handling complex IPOs and other securities offerings. The practice which is regularly instructed by both U.S. and international issuers, is jointly led in New York by Gregory Astrachan, Edward Best and Cristopher Greer. Astrachan regularly represents corporations and their boards on governance matters, while Greer excels in SEC matters as well as restructurings. Having joined the firm from Mayer Brown in August 2024, Best brings a wealth of experience with hybrid securities offerings as well as liability management transactions. Christopher Forrester joined the team in February 2026 from A&O Shearman.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Edward Best is extremely knowledgeable and not adverse to being involved in details.’
Key clients
- Hyundai Capital America
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
- Saks Global Holdings LLC
- Xerox Corp
- Reinsurance Group of America
- Platinum Equity and Butterfly
- Platinum Equity and its portfolio company Solenis
- McGraw Hill, Inc.
- Ingram Micro Holding Corporation
- Karman Holding Inc.
- Take-Two Interactive Software
- Sharkninja
- 1RT Acquisition Corp.
- Karman Holdings
- Yorktown Energy Partners
- RBC Capital Markets
- Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited
- U.S. Bank National Association
- Grid Dynamics
Work highlights
Steered client Karman Holdings Inc through its $506 million IPO. In a significant upsizing, Karman and the selling shareholders sold 23 million shares for $22 each after marketing the shares for $18 to $20 each, valuing the company at nearly $3 billion at the time of closing.
Acted as structuring counsel to the initial purchasers in an offering of $12 billion of an innovative structure of P-Caps by a Luxembourg special purpose vehicle as part of a series of measures by the United Mexican States, to provide support to Petróleos Mexicanos in the management and improvement of its balance sheet.
The Saks Global $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus was financed in part through an issuance of $2.2 billion of 11.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2029, with the Willkie Capital Markets team advising Saks.
Practice head
Gregory Astrachan; Edward Best; Cristopher Greer; Christopher Forrester