Kirkland & Ellis announced that Jared Axelrod and Suril Patel are joining the Firm as partners in the Debt Finance Group, where they will be part of the Structured Finance & Structured Private Credit Practice. Mr. Axelrod will lead the build out of the Firm’s global collateralized loan obligation (CLO) practice, and Mr. Patel will be Kirkland’s first structured finance lawyer in London.
“Jared and Suril will round out our new Structured Finance & Structured Private Credit Practice, which has been a high-priority growth area for Kirkland this year given increased demand for structured products across private equity and private credit, as well as infrastructure, fund finance and other key areas,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “We’re excited about adding these talented lawyers to the best-in-class team we’ve assembled, which now covers the gamut of sophisticated structured finance transactions for our sponsor and funds clients.”
Mr. Axelrod advises clients on negotiating and structuring CLOs and other complex securitizations. He has nearly a decade of experience advising clients within the CLO industry and is viewed as a leading advocate for collateral managers. He has advised domestic and international asset managers and issuers across a wide variety of CLO transactions, as well as other complex structured credit financing arrangements, including private credit securitizations, rated note feeders and insurance solution products.
“I’m extremely excited to join Kirkland and to team up with the many talented attorneys across the Firm’s various top-tier practice groups,” said Mr. Axelrod. “Kirkland’s deeply embedded relationships with leading private equity, private credit and asset management firms will provide a robust platform for serving clients and growing my practice. The group that Kirkland has put together to serve our funds clients is top-notch, and I can’t wait to start advising on some of the most exciting transactions in our space.”
Mr. Patel brings state-of-the-art experience with his background in EU risk retention and London-market CLOs. His practice focuses on advising sponsors, credit funds, institutional investors, financial institutions and borrowers on a broad array of structured finance transactions that include securitizations, structured private credit and other complex financing structures. He joins from Harvey, a legal artificial intelligence start-up, which he joined after earning a master’s degree from Stanford Business School. Prior to that, he was a structured finance partner at Allen & Overy. Mr. Patel has been recognized as a leading practitioner in various legal directories, including Chambers UK, Legal 500 and IFLR1000.
“I’m delighted to help bring Kirkland’s structured finance platform to London,” Mr. Patel said. “The Firm has amassed a terrific group of lawyers covering structured finance, and the ability to access the knowledge of the entire Kirkland platform is a huge addition for clients in Europe that are seeking structured finance advice.”
Kirkland’s Structured Finance & Structured Private Credit Practice has tripled in size since this summer, adding partners Michael Urschel and Kelly Mellecker and bringing the size of the dedicated cross-border team to nearly 30 attorneys. The team is active in structuring highly complex and first-of-their-kind transactions across industries including whole business, energy, digital infrastructure, media and entertainment, fund finance, CLOs, trade receivables and consumer loans.
“Reflecting on the growth of the practice this year, we believe the right line-up is in place for our clients’ highest-profile structured finance opportunities,” said Mr. Urschel. “Our full complement of professionals and deep experience will allow us to serve clients across structured finance, and we are ready to continue to grow alongside our clients as we help them create the next generation of opportunities.”
With more than 300 dedicated lawyers, Kirkland’s debt finance practice is the largest in the world and serves more than 500 private equity clients. According to Bloomberg, Debtwire and Refinitiv, Kirkland consistently handles more transactions for borrowers than any other law firm and, for the last five years, has led the market in U.S. borrower transactions. The practice is recognized by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and other publications for its work on complex, high-profile transactions; exceptional commercial understanding of U.S. and international financing markets; and excellence in client service.
