Jennifer Harris joined Ropes & Gray as a partner in the firm’s global capital solutions and private credit group, which advises clients in complex debt and equity transactions, including bespoke financing and distressed credit situations.
With experience in all facets of bespoke financings, Harris has a deep understanding of the legal demands of secured lending, distressed financing and workouts of troubled finance transactions. Her work includes advising clients, including credit funds and other investment pools, across aviation, telecommunications, apparel, broadcasting, shipping, oil and gas, hospitality, gaming, healthcare and sports.
Harris will be based in Ropes & Gray’s new Los Angeles office, the firm’s 12th global office and third in California, which is expected to open early this year. The Los Angeles team includes private equity partners Brandon Howald and Howard Glazer, healthcare partner Torrey McClary and healthcare counsel Ranee Adipat and Leslie Thornton as well as associates.
“We are excited to build on our momentum in Los Angeles with Jennifer’s arrival,” David Djaha, managing partner at Ropes & Gray, said. “Already there is a team of seasoned Ropes & Gray transactions attorneys working in Southern California, and Jennifer will strengthen that team.”
Ropes & Gray’s capital solutions and private credit group works alongside the firm’s private equity, asset management and restructuring groups and focuses on strategic and opportunistic financings, equity and debt solutions and workouts and restructurings across a spectrum of industries for both creditors and investors as well as companies and borrowers.
“Private credit, especially in the specialty asset and opportunistic space, is a hot area,” Leonard Klingbaum, co-head of the Ropes & Gray’s capital solutions and private credit group, said. “We expect that to extend into 2022. That’s why we continue to expand our group around the globe. Jennifer’s savvy and experience on lender-side financings and, in particular, those in the distressed space significantly enhances our talented team.”
Harris also advises clients on debtor-in-possession financing and exit facilities, second lien structures, multijurisdictional bankruptcy and debt restructuring both in and outside of bankruptcy.
“Ropes & Gray has a deep team helping clients navigate opportunistic investments,” Harris said. “I am very excited to help grow the firm’s new LA office and to collaborate with the terrific teams worldwide at Ropes & Gray to solve our clients’ most complex issues.”
Harris is one of five partners to join Ropes & Gray in the past month. In December, the firm added Howald in Los Angeles. In January, the firm added IP transactions partner Ed Sadtler, asset management partner Jennifer Graff and M&A partner Suni Sreepada for the firm’s 500-lawyer New York office. Ropes & Gray has also hired more than 200 lateral counsel and associates during the past 24 months.
In the last 18 months, Ropes & Gray’s capital solutions and private credit team has added partners Sam Badawi (New York) and Samuel Norris (London), as well as business restructuring partners Ryan Preston Dahl (Chicago) and Matthew Czyzyk (London). Additionally, two firm attorneys specializing in distressed and special situations, Milap Patel (Boston) and Patrick Dorime (New York), were promoted to partner in October.
