Mayer Brown continues to strengthen its position as a leading firm in the rapidly expanding private credit sector, outpacing many competitors in attracting top talent and high-profile clients.
The firm has further bolstered its capabilities with the strategic hire of Sheel Patel, a renowned private credit lawyer, to head its New York Private Credit practice.
Patel, formerly a key partner in King & Spalding’s Private Credit and Special Situations group, brings over 15 years of expertise in intricate financing transactions across various levels of the capital structure.
His addition is part of Mayer Brown’s ongoing expansion in this area, following the recent recruitment of three other partners to its Leveraged Finance and Private Credit practices in New York.
While some firms are only now establishing private credit practices, Mayer Brown has been aggressive in this field since the early 2000s when non-bank sponsor lending first emerged. The firm’s continued investment in top-tier talent underscores its continued role in bringing additional legal talent into complex financial work.
The Mayer Brown media statement on the announcement is below –
| New York, October 31, 2024 – Mayer Brown announced today that prominent private credit lawyer Sheel Patel has joined the firm as a partner, where he will serve as head of the Private Credit practice in New York. Sheel joins from King & Spalding, where he was a key partner in its Private Credit and Special Situations group. In his new role, Sheel will oversee Mayer Brown’s New York private credit offering while also playing a crucial role in the firm’s overall leveraged lending practice. Sheel has over 15 years of experience working on complex and bespoke financing transactions up and down the capital stack. He has a robust practice representing some of the world’s largest private credit funds and financial institutions on cutting-edge leveraged finance transactions, asset-based lending, mezzanine lending, preferred equity investments, event-driven and opportunistic financing transactions, as well as special situations, workouts, restructurings, and insolvency matters.”In addition to its world class leveraged finance and private credit practices, Mayer Brown’s deep global expertise in structured finance, asset-based lending, insurance, and asset management was a major draw for me,” said Sheel. “Private credit clients over the last several years have expanded the types of transactions they will finance, and Mayer Brown’s unmatched expertise in these areas will be a huge asset for my clients. This is where the private credit market is heading, and Mayer Brown is hands-down a leader in the space.”“We are thrilled to welcome Sheel to our team,” said Matt O’Meara, the global leader of Mayer Brown’s Private Credit practice. “The addition of Sheel as the head of our New York Private Credit practice further solidifies Mayer Brown’s position as a preeminent player in private credit. His extensive experience and deep understanding of the private credit market will significantly enhance our capabilities and further strengthen our commitment to providing exceptional service to our clients in New York and all over the globe.” “Sheel has developed a significant following among blue chip private credit funds in New York, making him the perfect fit to bolster our market-leading leveraged finance and private credit platform globally,” added Matthew Ingber, managing partner of Mayer Brown’s New York office. “His hire, coupled with our other recent arrivals, reinforces Mayer Brown’s reputation as the top destination for our clients’ most sophisticated and complex finance transactions. ”This strategic addition enhances Mayer Brown’s large global private credit team. Sheel is the fourth partner to recently join the firm’s market-leading Leveraged Finance and Private Credit practices in New York, following Blaise Latella, Jason Friedman, and Ben Snyder. “We’re excited about the recent additions of these highly talented partners to our preeminent finance team here in New York,” said Scott Zemser, global leader of Mayer Brown’s Leveraged Finance Practice. “We expect private credit and leveraged lending to continue to be very active components of the US and global financing systems. Our market-leading practice will continue to evolve and grow, particularly as large asset managers diversify their offerings in private credit.” About Mayer Brown’s Private Credit practiceMayer Brown’s Private Credit practice has formally been in place since 2018 and comprises experienced lawyers across major financial centers, including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Chicago, and New York.The firm’s private credit team has a distinguished reputation for providing comprehensive legal services that address the complexities of private credit transactions, ensuring clients receive innovative and effective solutions tailored to their unique needs. Additionally, with the trend of asset managers seeing increasing insurance company investor appetite in private credit funds, Mayer Brown’s additions to the private credit team supplements the deep knowledge of its Funds & Investment Management and Insurance Industry teams. |
