Commercial lending

Latham & Watkins LLP

Client Satisfaction

Banking powerhouse Latham & Watkins LLP is commended by clients on both the lender and borrower sides, with one noting that its ‘legal knowledge is robust and informed by significant experience in the space.’ On the lending side, it represents the large traditional banks on leveraged and acquisition financings, as well as direct lenders, in the form of non-bank financial institutions and debt funds. Its deep expertise fully equips the team to handle large unitranche financings in the billion-dollar range. Other areas of expertise include its work with sponsors and their portfolio companies on liability management financing transactions. On the borrower side, the team works with major corporation on a range of borrower-side financings. At practice head level, the New York office includes Daniel Seale who is skilled at handling acquisition financings and is highly regarded in the direct lending market; Alfred Xue who is a key name for traditional bank lenders and direct lenders on cross-border financings and Joshua Tinkelman who is highlighted for his work handling leveraged buyouts. Also forming part of practice head offering is Jason R. Bosworth in Los Angeles and Jason M. Licht in Washington DC. The team is ably supported by Michèle Penzer in New York who handles acquisition and project financings, along with Corey Wright and Lisa Collier who are also New York-based. Manu Gayatrinath is also highlighted as a notable member of the team. Jennifer Ezring joined the New York office from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP in October 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘This team at Latham & Watkins, led by Stelios Saffos, is truly the best on the street. The level of client service that they provide is above and beyond that of any of their peers. Their legal knowledge is robust and informed by significant experience in the space. They have great relationships with both lenders and borrowers / sponsors, which is a true asset in the negotiation process. The large amount of deal flow that they see ensures that they are always on top of the most recent technology in the market. ’
‘Stelios Saffos is simply the best lawyer with whom I have ever worked. His ability to be personally involved in each and every deal is impressive. He has also built a team around him that are equally competent and focused on client service. Beyond his legal acumen, Stelios is also excellent at connecting individuals and institutions across wall street. This is certainly above and beyond what most lawyers do and is additive to any lender's experience. ’
‘The Latham Team is a full-service team utilizing multiple Partners' expertise when necessary and in an efficient manner while having a seamless interaction between partner and associate. They are incredibly knowledgeable on all things debt and are incredibly well ordered when working for us. ’
‘Jesse Sheff is a phenomenal attorney and our go to Partner on all private debt and broadly syndicated deals. When we hire them on a mandate, it is clear that they are devoting 110% to our project and are focused on helping us succeed by solving problems as they arrive, and thinking ahead to things that may come up. We value their thoughtfulness and creativity in many of our off the run, and difficult transactions where their expertise comes in handy. ’
‘Expertise across various industries, deep bench, responsiveness’

Key clients

The Walt Disney Company
Wolfspeed
Chesapeake Energy
Permian Resources Operating
Caesars Entertainment Corporation
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners
American Airlines
Domtar Inc.
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc
Lyft
Farfetch US Holdings, Inc
JOANN Inc.
Veritext
Tapestry, Inc
Evertec
Royal Bank of America
Goldman Sachs
Wells Fargo
Blackstone Infrastructure Partners
Antares Capital
Blue Owl Credit
Barclays Bank
Capital One
Apogem Capital LLC
JP Morgan
Ares Management
TD Bank

Work highlights

Advised The Walt Disney Company on a large, $5.25bn investment grade revolving credit facility used to refinance existing debt.
Advised Wolfspeed on a term loan and secured notes facility that amounted to a total of $4bn.
Advised Chesapeake Energy on a $4.0bn reserve-based credit facility.