John O. Sutton Jr. joined Haynes and Boone as a partner in the firm’s finance practice group. He will work out of both the Fort Worth, TX, and Dallas offices.
Sutton Jr. has experience representing banks, commercial financiers and investment funds in asset-based lending (ABL) and structured finance transactions involving real estate, aircraft, hospitality, shipping and other industries. He has spent the bulk of his career at Hughes & Luce and later K&L Gates, following the merger of the firms. During his nearly 25 years at the firm, Sutton Jr. handled a range of debt transactions, including representing acquirers and capital sources in the structuring of leveraged acquisitions, lenders in debtor-in-possession and post-confirmation financings, and issuers and purchasers of mezzanine and senior subordinated debt.
“John has built a phenomenal finance practice and is well-regarded by financial institutions across the country,” Neal Kaminsky, a partner at Haynes and Boone and chair of the firm’s finance practice group, said. “He is a wonderful addition to our team and immediately bolsters the services we can offer clients.”
Sutton Jr. will work with Tim Johnston and Jim Markus, who are partners at Haynes and Boone. Johnston and Markus joined the firm last year from Vinson & Elkins and have decades of experience handling syndicated and bilateral domestic and cross-border ABL transactions.
Sutton Jr. said he was attracted to Haynes and Boone because of its reputation in finance, particularly in regard to mid-market and ABL transactions, as well as its collaborative culture, strong leadership and entrepreneurialism.
“I could not pass up the opportunity to team up with such stellar lawyers as Neal Kaminsky, Jim Markus and Tim Johnston, among others in Haynes and Boone’s finance practice,” Sutton Jr. said. “Together, we can provide a breadth and depth of practice in the ABL space that will be very attractive to clients.”
