James A. Florack
Co-head of Sponsor Finance and also leads our finance work in Latin America. Has a particular focus on financings for leveraged acquisitions.
Jim is co-head of our global Sponsor Finance practice and is regularly recognized in legal industry surveys as among the very best finance lawyers in the United States for both domestic and cross-border transactions. He advises clients on a wide range of transactions, including leveraged and investment-grade lending, structured finance and high-yield debt offerings. He represents both financial institutions, including most of the largest banks in the United States, and major corporations across numerous industries. He also leads our Latin America finance practice.
Clients call upon Jim in times of crisis or unique challenges. For example, he represented major financial institutions during the 2008 financial crisis and represented both airlines and the U.S. Treasury Department in financings under the 2020 CARES Act. He is widely recognized for his leadership in the field and has recently advised on many of the largest and highest profile financings in the market.
Experience
Recent Lender Representations
- $13.2 billion financing including $6 billion in bridge facilities for Elon Musk’s $44+ billion take-private acquisition of Twitter
- $12.6 billion financing for Bain and Hellman & Friedman’s acquisition of athenahealth
- $9.97 billion financing including a $2.32 billion bridge facility for Advent, Permira, Crosspoint and CPPIB’s take-private acquisition of McAfee
- $7.7+ billion in aggregate across multiple financings for Uber
- $6 billion revolver for Merck & Co.
- $5.2 billion sustainability-linked revolving facilities for Hyundai Capital
- $4.25 billion and €1 billion financing for 3G Capital’s acquisition of Hunter Douglas
- $3.25 billion “pro rata” financing for Zebra Technologies
- $2.675 billion financing for Clearlake’s acquisition of Endurance and Web.com
- $1.75 billion sustainability-linked revolver for Mexican corporate Grupo Bimbo (named “Loan Deal of the Year” by IFLR in 2022)
- Represented the U.S. Department of the Treasury in connection with more than 30 loans to airlines, transportation and national security companies under the US CARES Act
Recent Borrower Representations
- $9 billion securitization of Delta’s SkyMiles program (named “High Yield Deal of the Year” by IFLR in 2021)
- $1.815 billion financing for Semtech’s acquisition of Sierra Wireless
- $435 million for multiple receivables discounting facilities for General Dynamics
- Representation of many other corporate clients on financing matters
Insights
News
Recognition
Chambers Global – Banking & Finance, USA, Band 1
Chambers USA – Banking & Finance, New York, Band 1
Chambers Latin America – Banking & Finance – International Counsel, Band 1
IFLR1000 – Banking, Capital Markets, Project Finance, United States, Market Leader
Legal 500 U.S. – Commercial Lending
Legal 500 Latin America – Banking & Finance (International Firms)
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) – Banking: Finance
Best Lawyers – “Lawyer of the Year,” Banking and Finance Law, New York City, 2019 and 2024
American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers – Fellow
Education
Clerkships
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York