A large group of finance and corporate attorneys from Nixon Peabody has joined Pillsbury’s New York office.
Led by Mats Carlston, previously head of global finance at Nixon Peabody, who will now head Pillsbury’s leveraged finance team, the group enhances Pillsbury’s capabilities in the areas of leveraged finance, corporate trust, distressed investment, private equity and public finance.
“Pillsbury has long been recognized as a world leader in the financial services industry,” says Pillsbury firm chair Jim Rishwain (pictured). “The addition of this significant team allows Pillsbury to round out and deepen our full range of offerings in the finance, private equity and public finance sectors. We are delighted to have these elite and talented attorneys join us in New York as Pillsbury enters what we anticipate to be a very targeted period of strategic growth – growth that will continue to allow Pillsbury to deliver value-driven trusted counsel that help our clients succeed in the new economy."
The attorneys join as members of Pillsbury’s firm wide finance practice, and Pillsbury’s firm wide corporate and securities practice. The total number of attorneys coming aboard is still being finalised, and so far the team includes five partners plus other senior lawyers and associates.
Carlston has more than 20 years of experience in leveraged finance and general banking as well as with restructurings and workouts domestic and cross-border financings, with a principal focus in the private equity-sponsored buyout space. While at Nixon Peabody, he oversaw the growth of its global finance practice group to more than 50 attorneys.
Bart Pisella will lead Pillsbury’s corporate trust team. Pisella has over 20 years’ experience representing and advising financial and other institutions in a wide variety of commercial financing, fiduciary and securities matters.
Doug Schneller joins as leader of Pillsbury’s distressed investing team and represents commercial banks, investment banks, and hedge funds that invest in distressed assets, including companies in bankruptcy, and counsels creditors in bankruptcy cases and out-of-court restructurings.
Peter Alfano is a finance lawyer representing banks, finance companies, private equity funds and large corporate borrowers in domestic and cross-border financings. He also represents high net worth individuals and families as borrowers in connection with private bank and structured financings with major domestic financial institutions.
James Kelly joins as leader of Pillsbury’s leveraged buyout team in the corporate and securities practice. With a focus on M&A and private equity, Kelly represents private equity sponsors, their portfolio companies, investment banks and other financial institutions, as well as strategic companies, in connection with leveraged acquisitions, control and non-control investments, divestitures, restructurings and the related exit transactions.
Gregory M. Weston will lead the municipal finance specialty team, which represents bond issuers and underwriters in a variety of taxable and tax-exempt transactions involving infrastructure, housing and higher education. He has broad experience in real estate finance, including tax credit and capital market transactions.
William Egler will lead the asset-backed finance team. He has a broad range of experience representing major international financial institutions structuring, negotiating and documenting credit facilities.
