The beginning of a new year is often a time of making resolutions and planning for the future. At Willow, we believe it is equally important to reflect on the lessons learned and achievements earned in the past, as these provide valuable insight on the direction one is heading. Please read below to see what our attorneys, Sarah and Daniel, had to say about their most memorable projects from 2023.
From my perspective, Willow’s most memorable transaction in 2023 was its representation of a corporate client in entering a $100 million, asset-backed credit facility. This was a challenging transaction. Not only were the documents and legal components of the deal highly complex, but the transaction also required coordination among several law firms representing various interested parties, all while raising interest rates and market uncertainty created a tough landscape for companies seeking private debt. Also, this transaction was incredibly important to our client, who intended to use the loan proceeds to partially finance its growing drilling program in Appalachia. Knowing this, we spent many evening and weekend hours working on this deal to ensure that our client was never the cause for delay and to demonstrate our and our client’s professionalism to all parties involved. To me, as Willow’s founder, this transaction was incredibly fulfilling as it showcased our ability to work on sophisticated transactions involving complex legal issues, large international law firms and pressing deadlines while navigating a tough credit market.
–Sarah
For myself, what stands out looking back on 2023 is not so much a single transaction, but rather the many projects I worked on for our private equity clients. When I joined Willow, I had very limited knowledge of the workings of private equity. Although Sarah has continually coached me on my private equity practice development, it was really not until this past year that I truly grasped many of the intricacies of the industry. Throughout the year, I had the opportunity to assist a number of our clients implement internal controls and processes to monitor and maintain compliance with their funds’ governance documents. Working with many different limited partnership agreements and side letters truly heightened my understanding of the concerns and needs of both funds and investors alike. The work our firm performed required that I understand not only the legal aspects of the documents, but also the practical ramifications to our clients. This repeated hands-on experience—coupled with Sarah’s readiness to thoroughly discuss any question I had—fostered a level of professional growth that is unmatched throughout my career. The reason all this stands out to me as my biggest success of 2023 is due to my satisfaction of looking back at the growth in my personal understanding of the private equity industry and the excitement of looking forward to new projects on the horizon that will continue to push my professional development. On a broader scale, I think my experience also speaks to Willow’s dedication to continuous learning and innovation in order to assist our clients achieve their goals.
–Daniel
The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials are for general informational purposes only.
