North America - United States • Finance

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

More informationMore information

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is noted for representing both issuers and underwriters; it has gained additional market share in underwriter engagements in recent years. It is widely recognized for its expertise in headline and high-value deals along with its capabilities across the leveraged finance and high-yield debt landscape. Much of its practice remains connected to acquisitions made by its private equity clients and their portfolio companies. Its client base includes many established issuers that are moving towards investment grade status. Kenneth Wallach is an experienced capital markets practitioner with a fine record in high-yield debt, representing a range of corporate, private equity and investment banking clients; Silver Lake is a regular client. Arthur Robinson is one of the most experienced practitioners in the market and continues to advise on headline deals. David Azarkh, Marisa Stavenas and John Ericson are also key names. All named individuals are based in New York.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Key clients

  • Academy Sports & Outdoors, Inc.
  • AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
  • American Tire Distributors
  • Ancestry.com
  • APX Group Holdings, Inc. (a/k/a Vivint Smart Home)
  • Aramark
  • Ashton Woods
  • AssuredPartners, Inc.
  • Avantor, Inc.
  • Axis Specialty Finance LLC
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • BC Partners
  • Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc.
  • BMC Software, Inc.
  • BMO Capital Markets Corp.
  • BNP Paribas
  • The Carlyle Group
  • Cedar Fair, L.P., Canada’s Wonderland Company, Magnum Management Corporation, and Millennium Operations LLC
  • CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc.
  • Citigroup
  • CNO Financial
  • Cooper-Standard Automotive
  • Cvent
  • Dell Inc.
  • Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
  • The E.W. Scripps Company
  • Finance of America
  • First Data Corporation
  • First Reserve
  • Garda World Security Corporation
  • Gates Industrial Corporation
  • GFL Environmental Inc.
  • Global Medical Response, Inc.
  • Goldman, Sachs & Co.
  • HCA Inc.
  • Heartland Dental
  • Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.
  • Home Point Capital Inc.
  • Hovnanian Enterprises
  • Hub International Limited
  • Ingersoll Rand Inc. (f/k/a Gardner Denver Holdings, Inc.)
  • ITT
  • Jefferies
  • J.P. Morgan Securities
  • K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.
  • KKR Financial Holdings
  • KKR Real Estate Finance Trust Inc.
  • Masonite International Corporation
  • MIWD
  • Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
  • Mr. Cooper Group Inc. and its subsidiary Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc.
  • Multiplan Corporation
  • Performance Food Group Company
  • PPD Inc.
  • PPL Corporation
  • RBS
  • Silver Lake
  • Sirius XM Radio Inc.
  • Summit Materials
  • Teleflex Incorporated
  • Teine Energy Ltd.
  • TPC Group Inc.
  • Vivint Smart Home
  • Wash Multifamily Acquisition Inc.
  • Weight Watchers International, Inc.
  • Wells Fargo Securities
  • Zayo Group Holdings, Inc.
  • ZoomInfo Technologies Inc.

Work highlights

  • Advised Moelis & Company LLC, as dealer manager and solicitation agent, in connection with offers and related consent solicitations by Carvana Co to exchange $5.225bn of outstanding notes for three tranches of new cash/PIK senior secured notes, and Carvana’s concurrent cash tender offer and related consent solicitation for its $500m of outstanding notes.
  • Advised Blackstone on the high yield debt financing for the acquisition of the Climate Technologies Business of Emerson Electric, including the issuance of $2.275bn of 6.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 and €455m of 6.375% Senior Secured Notes due 2030.
  • Represented the initial purchasers in Bausch + Lomb Corporation’s $1.4bn (aggregate) debut Rule 144A/Regulation S offering used to finance Bausch + Lomb’s acquisition of XIIDRA®.

Lawyers

Leading lawyers

Kenneth Wallach

Kenneth Wallach

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Co-Head of the Firm’s Global Capital Markets Practice, Ken Wallach represents clients including Weight Watchers, Dell Technologies, Mars/Wrigley, Cooper-Standard, Thrive Market, Xerox, CAVA, Drummond, Candela Medical, Cole Haan, First Advantage, Zero Motorcycles, Frontdoor, Garda World Security, CSG Systems and Global Blue. He regularly advises private equity sponsors, including Silver Lake, Apax and Invus, in connection with high yield and bridge financings and restructurings. His equity experience includes Issuer’s Counsel for the IPOs of CAVA, First Advantage, Blue Buffalo and K2M. Ken also represents investment banks in IPOs, follow-on equity offerings and high yield and investment grade debt offerings, including as designated underwriters’ counsel for Cinemark and MEG Energy. Ken is also widely recognized as a leading expert on corporate governance issues, including ESG matters. Ken currently serves as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Joshua Ford Bonnie, Roxane Reardon, Kenneth Wallach

Other key lawyers

Arthur Robinson, David Azarkh, Marisa Stavenas, John Ericson