Milbank LLP is pleased to announce that 13 attorneys have been elected to the firm’s partnership effective January 1, 2022, marking one of the largest new partner classes at the firm. The new partners are based across five of Milbank’s global offices and nine of the firm’s practice areas. Twelve of these new partners were previously lawyers at the firm. Milbank is also pleased to announce the addition of Kamal Nesfield as partner to the Global Leveraged Finance Group in the New York office.
“We are thrilled to welcome this extraordinary group of lawyers as the newest additions to the firm’s partnership,” said Scott Edelman, Chairman of Milbank. “The accomplishments of this incredibly deserving class speak to the caliber of our next generation of lawyers. This talented and diverse group has demonstrated a strong commitment to the firm, their practices and their clients. We look forward to watching them continue to grow in their roles at the firm for years to come.”
New York
Kelsey Breck Baumberger is a member of the Direct Lending and Specialty Finance Practice. Her practice focuses on the representation of lenders and borrowers in domestic and cross-border financing transactions, debt restructurings and structured financings. Recent areas of particular focus include alternative asset manager financing solutions and structured transactions. Ms. Baumberger also has experience with direct lending, first and second lien credit facilities, syndicated acquisition financings, DIP and exit facilities, and asset-based lending. She received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a B.A. from Kalamazoo College.
Richard Hillman is a member of the Project, Energy and Infrastructure Finance Group. His experience includes advising lenders, sponsors and other project participants on energy, emerging technology and other project and structured finance transactions. Mr. Hillman has been recognized as a “rising star” by The Legal 500 in both “project finance” and “conventional power.” He has extensive experience on renewable energy transactions and received the Cornerstone Award from the Lawyers Alliance for New York in 2019 for his work helping Fifth Avenue Committee on solar energy initiatives in South Brooklyn. He received his LL.B. from the University of Western Australia Law School, a B.Com from the University of Western Australia, and a Master of Banking and Finance Law from the University of Melbourne.
Lesley Janzen is a member of the Capital Markets Group. Ms. Janzen advises US and international corporations on corporate governance and general corporate matters. She has represented clients in transactions across a broad range of industries, including energy, healthcare, manufacturing and industrials, technology, media and telecommunications, and consumer retail products. She has extensive experience representing investment banks, corporate issuers, and investors in public and private securities offerings, including high yield and investment-grade debt offerings, leveraged buy-outs, initial public offerings, follow-on and secondary equity offerings, equity-linked securities offerings, cross-border securities offerings, and liability management transactions. She received her J.D. from George Washington University Law School and a B.S. from the University of Minnesota.
Alexandra Johnson is a member of the Transportation and Space Group at Milbank. Ms. Johnson regularly represents underwriters, issuers, lenders, lessors, borrowers, credit insurers and equity and debt investors. Her experience includes a variety of international financial and corporate transactions, including portfolio securitizations, acquisition financing, mergers and acquisitions and secured lending, that involve transportation assets, such as aircraft, railcars and loan obligations collateralized by aviation-related assets. Ms. Johnson has worked on some of the most complex and innovative financings involving aircraft, including many that have been recognized by industry publications as “Deals of the Year.” Ms. Johnson helped lead the creation and implementation of, and is the lead instructor for, the Deals@Milbank Transactional Drafting Series for junior associates at Milbank. Ms. Johnson is a Senior Lecturing Fellow at the Duke University School of Law where she teaches transaction and contract drafting. She received her J.D. from Georgetown Law and an A.B. from Duke University.
Jonathan M. Karl is a member of the Real Estate Group. He represents institutional real estate investors in all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, with a particular focus on complex debt finance. He regularly advises banks and debt and private equity funds in the origination and secondary market sale of structured financings, including mortgage and mezzanine loans, construction loans, preferred equity investments, repurchase and warehouse credit facilities and the negotiation of intercreditor, participation and co-lender agreements. He has represented a wide variety of clients in connection with loan workouts and restructurings, discounted pay-offs, deed-in-lieu transactions, and foreclosures. Mr. Karl also advises clients in the formation of joint ventures, as well as the acquisition, sale and leasing of real estate across all asset classes. Mr. Karl received his J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and a B.A. from Boston College.
Kamal Nesfield is a member of the Global Leveraged Finance Group. Mr. Nesfield brings extensive experience representing notable industry clients, ranging from investment banks to direct lenders to other financial institutions, with a particular focus on cross-border transactions and acquisition financings. While he has historically also advised private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and high-yield bond issuers, Mr. Nesfield has most recently broadened his practice to represent a variety of alternative financing providers on various matters, including syndicated term and asset-based loans; unitranche, mezzanine and investment-grade facilities; and high-yield bonds. He received his J.D. from the Howard University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brian C. Troxler is a member of the Alternative Investments Practice. Mr. Troxler’s practice includes representation of lenders and borrowers in domestic and cross-border structured finance transactions. He has worked for a variety of clients on matters involving secured lending, collateralized loan obligation transactions (“CLOs”) as well as other complex structured credit financing arrangements. Mr. Troxler has been recognized as a “rising star” by The Legal 500 in “structured finance.” He was a member of the Milbank team advising a United Airlines deal that was honored as “Deal of the Year: Debt Capital Markets” at Euromoney’s IFLR1000 United States Awards 2021. He received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University.
DC
Alexis M. Sáinz is a member of the Transportation and Space Group. Her experience includes representing financial institutions, project sponsors, private equity firms, hedge funds, satellite operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, communications companies, export credit and multilateral development agencies and other project participants on structured, project and vendor financings, debt and equity offerings, mergers & acquisitions, financial restructurings, regulatory matters, and in negotiating commercial contracts. Ms. Sáinz co-chairs the American Bar Association’s Committee on Space Law and co-authored the chapter “Commercial Satellite Programs” for the Routledge Handbook of Space Law. Ms. Sáinz serves on the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Commission on Latinas and she is a member of the National LGBTQ Task Force’s Leadership Council. She holds a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, an M.S. in Computer Science from American University, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
Samir L. Vora is a member of the Litigation & Arbitration Group. Mr. Vora’s practice focuses on restructuring, bankruptcy, and creditors’ rights litigation. He has over a decade of experience representing debtors-in-possession, creditors’ committees, ad hoc committees, and other interested parties in connection with litigation issues arising out of main bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings, including the handling of discovery, motion practice, trials, and appeals. He previously practiced in Milbank’s Los Angeles office where he was routinely recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer Rising Star. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and B.A. from Pomona College.
Frankfurt
Dr. Leopold Riedl is a member of the Corporate Group. Mr. Riedl represents private equity funds as well as public and private corporations on domestic and cross-border transactions, joint ventures and spin-offs. He has experience in advising clients in a wide range of industries and also on general corporate matters and asset deals. Mr. Riedl received his doctorate degree from the University of Würzburg and studied law at the University of Würzburg and Trinity College Dublin. He spent his clerkship period (Referendariat) in Frankfurt and London.
London
Kate Colman is a member of the Financial Restructuring Group. Ms. Colman has experience working for a range of stakeholders on all aspects of restructurings and stressed and distressed investments. Her recent experience includes advising bondholder committees in the restructurings of Intralot, Codere and Officine Maccaferri, as well as shareholders, debtors, creditors and strategic and special situations investment funds on a range of distressed investments and special situations financings. She has co-authored chapters in GRR’s “Art of the Ad Hoc,” 2nd edition, and “Defaults and Workouts: Restructuring Project Financings” in “International Project Finance – Law and Practice” published by Oxford University Press. She received her LL.B. from the University of Liverpool and LL.M from New York University School of Law.
Ana Grbec is a member of the Capital Markets Group. Ms. Grbec advises on public and private capital markets and finance transactions with a focus on high yield debt securities, equity capital markets and cross-border securities offerings across a broad range of sectors and jurisdictions. She has advised and represented issuers, financial institutions and underwriters on high yield bond offerings, private placements, acquisition financings/LBOs, investment-grade offerings, initial public offerings, rights issues, bank regulatory capital offerings, liability management exercises, mergers and acquisitions, general corporate matters and US securities laws. She has been recognized in Legal 500 UK in High Yield and by Chambers UK as an Associate to Watch. Ms. Grbec received her LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Law from Bocconi University.
Tokyo
Andrew Pendleton is a member of the Energy, Infrastructure and Project Finance Group. He has particular experience supporting ECAs, sponsors and commercial banks on large multi-sourced project and acquisition financings, and restructurings, in the petrochemicals, oil and gas, mining and power sectors globally, acting as a lead attorney on various award-winning “deals of the year.” He is a co-author of both the Oxford University Press Guide to International Project Finance: Law and Practice and The Projects and Construction Law Review. He is also ranked by Chambers & Partners for his work in Projects & Energy. Mr. Pendleton received his D.P.L. from Nottingham Law School and B.A. from the University of Warwick.
