Finance attorneys Paul Severin, Kristin Bacchus and Patricia Whitten have joined Holland & Knight’s financial services practice group in Los Angeles as partners. They were previously partners with Loeb & Loeb, where Severin recently served as vice chair of the firm.
The addition of this team follows the hiring in June 2023 of Los Angeles-based finance partners Hamid Namazie, Yoojin Lee and Mark Spitzer, who primarily focus on asset-based lending.
“Paul, Kristin and Tricia’s experience in representing major banks and other lenders provides us with a unique opportunity to grow our lender-side capabilities nationally and on the West Coast,” Jose Sirven, chair of Holland & Knight’s Business Section, said. “We expect to deepen our relationships with some of our most significant lending clients and we will welcome new relationships that will benefit from our deep bench of finance attorneys across the country.”
Severin’s commercial finance practice focuses mostly on the representation of financial institutions in secured and unsecured lending and finance transactions, including securities-based lending, asset-based lending, derivatives and private equity and hedge fund transactions. Severin received an LL.B. degree from the University of Western Ontario and a B.A. degree from the University of Toronto.
“Holland & Knight’s platform and compatibility with our practice makes the firm ideally suited to support our banking clients,” Severin said. “We look forward to continue to grow our practice while also contributing to the success of the firm.”
Bacchus represents financial institutions in connection with secured and unsecured loans to private equity sponsors and principals, corporate entities, investment vehicles and individuals. Her practice encompasses an array of domestic and cross-border finance transactions, including partner loan and co-investment programs, hedge fund lending, securities-based lending, art lending, leveraged buyouts, bridge financings and subscription facilities. Bacchus received J.D. and LL.M. degrees from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Whitten’s practice focuses on a wide range of commercial lending and banking transactions, including senior secured and unsecured lending, art financing transactions, securities-based lending and hedge fund transactions. Her experience includes representing financial institutions in structured finance and debt financing transactions for privately held and publicly owned corporate borrowers and companies. Whitten received a J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University.
