Signage is seen at the legal offices of the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City, New York, U.S., May 19, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
(Reuters) – Willkie Farr & Gallagher on Wednesday announced it has tapped Andres Mena, a Paul Hastings partner, to co-chair its finance practice from New York.
The firm touted Mena’s experience in handling private equity-backed debt finance transactions, which includes a three-year stint at Paul Hastings and a 17-year tenure at Kirkland & Ellis.
Mena’s clients at Paul Hastings have included Mercado Libre Inc, a Buenos Aires-based e-commerce company, and PBF Energy Inc, an American independent petroleum refiner. He also advised private equity firm GI Partners LP when it acquired a majority stake in DR Fortress LLC, Hawaii’s largest data center, in 2020.
Mena’s background in cross-border deals and workouts “is a perfect fit” for Willkie, Viktor Okasmaa, co-chair of the firm’s finance practice group, said in a statement.
“Willkie’s depth and experience across the global transactional landscape was a significant draw for me and is highly synergistic to my practice,” Mena said in a statement released by the firm.
Mena’s hire comes less than a week after Willkie opened its third office in California, bringing on a trio of partners from Venable to launch a new outpost in Los Angeles.
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