Ropes & Gray Expands Capital Solutions Bench and New Los Angeles Team with Partner Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris, a seasoned special situations finance attorney, joined Ropes & Gray today as a partner in the firm’s growing global capital solutions & private credit group. The team strategically advises clients in complex debt and equity transactions including bespoke financing and distressed credit situations.

Jennifer is one of three partners to join Ropes & Gray in the past month. In December, the firm added private equity partner Brandon Howald in Los Angeles. In January, the firm welcomed M&A partner Suni Sreepada in the firm’s 500-lawyer New York office. Ropes & Gray has also hired more than 200 lateral counsel and associates, a record number, during the past 24 months.

With extensive experience in all facets of bespoke financings, Jennifer brings a deep understanding and practical approach to the legal demands of secured lending, distressed financings and workouts of troubled finance transactions. Her work includes advising clients, including credit funds and other investment pools, across aviation, telecom, apparel, broadcasting, shipping, oil and gas, hospitality, gaming, healthcare and sports.

Jennifer will be based in Ropes & Gray’s new Los Angeles office, the firm’s 12^th globally and third in California, which is expected to open in early 2022. Our Los Angeles team includes private equity partners Brandon Howald and Howard Glazer, health care partner Torrey McClary and health care counsel Ranee Adipat and Leslie Thornton, and many associates.

“We are excited to build on our momentum in Los Angeles with Jennifer’s arrival,” said David Djaha, managing partner. “Already there is a team of seasoned Ropes & Gray transactions attorneys working in Southern California, and Jennifer will strengthen that team.” 

She also strengthens the firm’s growing capital solutions and private credit group, which has added four partners over the past 18 months.  The group, working alongside the firm’s private equity, asset management and restructuring groups, focuses on strategic and opportunistic financings, equity and debt solutions, and workouts and restructurings across a broad 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,” said Leonard Klingbaum co-head of the firm’s capital solutions and private credit group. “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.”

Jennifer 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,” said Jennifer. “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.” 

In the last 18 months, Ropes & Gray’s capital solutions & 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. 

The firm continues to expand on the West Coast with its new Los Angeles office. Ropes & Gray has been established in California with offices in San Francisco since 2001 and in Silicon Valley since 1992. The firm already represents leading California-based clients, including TPG Capital, PIMCO, University of Southern California, Oaktree Capital Management LP, DoubleLine Capital LP, Genstar Capital, HP Inc., ICU Medical, Silver Lake Partners and Stanford University.