With an immense sponsor-side practice, the debt finance offering at Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a favourite among private equity funds, their portfolio companies, and public and private corporate borrowers. The team advises on virtually all types of debt financing transactions, including LBOs, restructurings, liability management transactions, capital call and subscription facilities, as well as fund-level finance and acquisition finance. In New York, Melissa Hutson focuses on syndicated loans, leveraged PE acquisition financing, recapitalizations and debt restructurings, and Jay Ptashek possesses a vast array of debt financing arrangements and capital structure matters. Chicago-based Michelle Kilkenney acts for sponsors and companies in DIP, workout and restructuring negotiations, mezzanine and subordinated financing transactions. New York-based Jason Kanner‘s experience spans bulge-bracket and middle-market secured and unsecured finance transactions, from ABL facilities to bank/bridge commitments, as well as liability management transactions. Also in New York, Judson Oswald handles refinancings, amendments, acquisition and take-private financings for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. LA-based Paul Rezvani and Houston-based Lucas Spivey are additional key names in the group.
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Testimonials
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‘The practice has a very deep institutional knowledge base built over years of executing transactions at very high volumes. That institutional knowledge base is hard to build from scratch and, I think, nearly impossible to replicate otherwise. It is also helpful in financing when counsel can bring to bare the expertise from high-caliber M&A and antitrust attorneys on issues that overlap with the financing. K&E has both and in the past have been very helpful.’
‘I exclusively work with Scott Rolnik on financings when using K&E. He stands out because he provides a higher level of thoughtfulness and consideration when drafting documents and proposing provisions. Most firms will throw the "kitchen sink" into a draft whether it is relevant to a business (or not) and, when firms take this approach, it more often than not results in conflicting provisions. Scott is very good at thinking ahead (e.g. "seeing around corners") and provides great counsel during negotiations. He has very good attention to detail, checks associate work and consistently produces error-free work product.'
‘K&E does a tremendous job servicing my firm. No question goes unanswered for long and the advice is practical and usable. No running around in circles.’
‘The senior partner I interact with understands the legal sandbox in which she operates intimately. She either knows the answer or can find it within minutes. She also applies that knowledge against her understanding of what my company is trying to accomplish, so the advice is practical and actionable.’
‘The K&E team is very strong and consistently easy to work with, even on complicated matters. They are responsive, practical, and focused on helping us move things forward efficiently. Compared to other firms, they do a good job of balancing technical expertise with a collaborative, client-oriented approach.’
‘Kirkland & Ellis hires the strongest professionals in the market and trains them up well. They have the best network and market knowledge on terms across geographies and deal sizes. They are extremely hardworking - never unable to meet tight deal timelines.'
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Other key lawyers
Melissa Hutson; Jay Ptashek; Michelle Kilkenney; Jason Kanner; Judson Oswald; Paul Rezvani; Lucas Spivey; Thomas Dobleman; Grant Bowen; Adam Shapiro; Andrea Weintraub; Brian Ford; Austin Glassman; Scott Rolnik