King & Spalding‘s finance offering is well-equipped to advise multinational investment and commercial banks on a diverse range of finance options, acting in a number of syndicated acquisition, cash flow, asset-based and acquisition financing. New York-based Todd Holleman jointly heads the practice with Carolyn Alford, who has great experience in syndicated financing and refinancing, and is praised for her ’great command of market knowledge and legal issues’. Also based in New York, Marissa Sotomayor is a key point of contact for syndicated project finance, refinancing, and cash flow financing. Bryant Gatrell and Craig Lee are both noted members of the Charlotte office, advising on sponsor acquisition, asset-based and real estate financing. Mary Liz Brady and Maureen Sweeney are also key members of the Chicago office, and are experienced in recapitalizations, revolver and hybrid facilities, with the latter praised as ‘responsive, commercial and effective’. Andrew Bettwy joined the firm from Proskauer Rose LLP in June 2026.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'King & Spalding has a unique perspective on both private credit and bank lending. The firm does not necessarily bifurcate its team's time between the two styles of lending. Rather, partners will cover both banks and non-banks. Because of that, we get a really rounded view of the loan market.'
- 'Carolyn Alford has incredible depth and experience across the market. She has a wide, varied array of clients that provides her (and, therefore, her clients) with a really unique perspective. She is well balanced - and appropriately takes my institution's credit appetite and hot-button issues into consideration as she guides us on how to be commercial and keep us in the game.'
- 'Amy Peters has a tremendous grasp of our various banking and lending products, including our joint venture relationship with several private credit platforms. She thoroughly understands our credit philosophy and the terms we won't accept, and very efficiently guides our team to the right outcomes. She has a pulse on the market and keeps us accountable and commercial.'
- 'Carolyn Alford is not only knowledgeable but is a great combination of understanding the law, understanding her clients, understanding the business, and understanding what matters. This allows her to focus on what's important. She can go toe to toe with anyone, but (and here's the important part), won't unless it's warranted. I also like that she has the confidence to tell me when I'm being off-market, either overly strict or overly permissive. It's my call, but that feedback is invaluable in helping to decide whether it's something I have to have, have to just "live with" or have to walk away.'
- 'Carolyn Alford is without a doubt the standout partner there. Carolyn has a great command of market knowledge and legal issues, which she combines with pragmatic judgment. On any issue, she can quickly frame our options, summarize the risks, and suggest a workable path forward. We trust her advice on the decisions that matter. Her team consists of a number of young up-and-coming associates that I look forward to seeing enrich their careers.'
- 'K&S served as lender counsel in a fast-paced, complicated bankruptcy buy-side. My experience with them, especially the lead partner, was exceptional. Moreover, K&S had to supplement very weak and unavailable company counsel.'
Key clients
- Goldman Sachs
- Morgan Stanley & Co
Work highlights
Represented Goldman Sachs Bank USA in its role (alongside TPG Angelo Gordon) as structuring agents and lenders in a $1 billion asset-backed term loan facility provided to Cablevision Funding.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Carolyn Alford; Todd Holleman
Other key lawyers
Marisa Sotomayor; Bryant Gatrell; Craig Lee; Mary Liz Brady; Maureen Sweeney; Amy Peters; Kathryn Weiss; Andrew Bettwy