Christopher E. Lawrence

Partner

Chris Lawrence’s practice is focused on the representation of private credit funds, insurance companies, asset managers, and other institutional investors in a broad range of private credit financing transactions across all capital structures and sectors, including institutional private placements, direct lending transactions, first-lien and second-lien loan facilities, mezzanine investments, “one-stop shop” transactions, unitranche loans, PIK holdco financings, hybrid capital, and preferred equity investments.

His experience includes representing lenders and investors in connection with leveraged buyouts, cash flow and asset-based lending transactions, project and infrastructure financings, bond financings, financing arrangements for closed-end funds and business development companies (BDCs), maritime financings, timber deals, and cross-border financing arrangements in Canada, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Mexico, South America, and Australia. He also has extensive experience in intercreditor issues, secured creditor and bankruptcy rights, special situations and out-of-court workouts, reorganizations, and debt restructurings.

Chris returned to Morgan Lewis after working in the transactional ﬁnance practice of another international law ﬁrm.

Counsel to institutional investors in connection with a back-leveraged debt financing for a portfolio of 14 solar projects
Represented institutional investors in connection with the private placement of approximately $2.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes issued by a 1940 Act-registered interval fund
Represented institutional investors in connection with the private placement of €300 million (about $340.5 million) in aggregate principal amount of senior notes and the establishment of a €350 million (about $397.5 million) shelf note facility for an Austrian national railway company
Represented a group of investment funds in connection with a $102 million second-lien term loan and delayed draw loan facility and an $83 million preferred equity/hybrid debt investment for a polymer materials design company
Represented institutional investors in a series of private placement financings totaling £556 million (about $741.9 million) in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes in connection with a whole business securitization for a United Kingdom-based terminal port operator
Represented institutional investors in connection with a $55 million private placement of senior secured notes for a financial technology firm that owns and operates a securities lending trading platform
Represented institutional investors in connection with multiple private placement financings for public and private business development companies
Represented institutional investors in connection with a private placement of ¥10.0 billion (about $69.8 million) of senior notes by an international jewelry retailer
Representation of institutional investors in connection with the purchase of enhanced maritime trust certificates as part of a structured debt financing for the purchase of container vessels by a global shipping company
Represented institutional investors in connection with a private placement of senior notes backed by revenues of a public university’s intercollegiate athletic program
Represented institutional investors in connection with private placement of $450 million of senior notes for a real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of New York real estate assets
Represented bondholders in restructuring of gaming enterprise revenue bonds issued by a Native American tribe to finance the construction and development of a tribal-owned gaming facility

Fordham University School of Law, 1999, J.D.
Pennsylvania State University, 1994, B.A., political science and government

Connecticut
New York

Member, Private Placement Investors Association

Member, American College of Investment Counsel (ACIC)

Member, ACIC’s Transaction Process Management Committee

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