Department profile
Latham & Watkins LLP

Capital Markets: High-Yield Products

Global Guide 2026 : USA


Latham & Watkins LLP

Rankings

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Capital Markets: High-Yield Products - USA

Band 1

Band 1


What the Team is Known For
Latham & Watkins LLP houses a deep bench of highly regarded practitioners, offering coast-to-coast expertise on the full range of capital markets matters. The attorneys are regularly sought by managers for counsel on a variety of equity transactions and possesses significant experience advising issuers from a variety of industries. With a comprehensive debt practice, Latham offers expertise in convertible debt and has a particular skill in handling high-yield offerings.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Latham & Watkins LLP represented American Airlines in its offering of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 8.5% senior secured notes.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Latham has developed into my go-to law firm. The team is incredibly knowledgeable, easy to get a hold of and communicative.

    Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Latham is a tremendous team with the depth to handle the most complex and sophisticated situations.

    Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • The team is experienced, have seen just about everything and have all the answers.

    Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Latham & Watkins does a phenomenal job handling cutting-edge topics.

    Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Latham is a highly commercial, solutions-oriented firm that constantly challenges tried-and-tested approaches in pursuit of the best outcome for the client.

    Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Star IndividualsMarc D Jaffe
    Star IndividualsMarc D Jaffe

    Marc D Jaffe

    Marc Jaffe stands out for his talent in handling debt transactions on behalf of issuers and underwriters and he is also particularly adept at representing global clients in major IPOs.
    • Marc is one of the greats who loves getting down into the details.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is very talented, very commercial and very knowledgeable.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is a leader in this space.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 1Ian Schuman
    Band 1Ian Schuman

    Ian Schuman

    Ian Schuman acts for issuers and underwriters in a wide range of transactions, with notable experience in debt matters, including high-yield debt offerings. He also maintains a busy equity practice and he is regularly chosen to counsel clients on IPOs.
    • He is always attentive and has deep knowledge across a range of topics.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is one of the best capital market lawyers out there.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 1J Michael Chambers
    Band 1J Michael Chambers

    J Michael Chambers

    Michael Chambers is widely respected for his capital markets practice, offering market-leading expertise in high-yield and investment-grade debt issuances.
  • Band 1Richard A Kline
    Band 1Richard A Kline

    Richard A Kline

    Richard Kline's capital markets practice covers both issuer and underwriter-side transactions, displaying particular strengths in handling IPOs by technology companies.
    • Deals go smoothly when we work with him.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 1Ryan Maierson
    Band 1Ryan Maierson

    Ryan Maierson

    Ryan Maierson's broad capital markets practice runs the full gamut of debt and equity securities offerings. He often represents issuers, underwriters and private equity sponsors in transactions in the oil and gas industry.
    • Ryan is an expert and someone who we always enjoy working with.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 1Tad Freese
    Band 1Tad Freese

    Tad Freese

    Tad Freese is especially active in the technology market, advising banks and companies on their debt and equity transactions.
    • Tad is one of the best partners to have on a transaction, he understands complex situations and ensures excellent execution for the transaction as a whole.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Tad is responsive and solution-oriented.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is a commercial and collaborative guy to work with.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Tad is exceptional, he is my gold standard in terms of responsiveness and providing pragmatic advice.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2David Miller
    Band 2David Miller

    David Miller

    David Miller advises on a broad range of capital markets transactions ranging from IPOs to high-yield debt offerings.
    • David is extremely responsive, always available and sincerely interested in our business.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • David is an experienced, practical and solution-oriented partner for us.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • David is knowledgeable, personable and always timely in his responses. It’s a pleasure working with him.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2Greg Rodgers
    Band 2Greg Rodgers

    Greg Rodgers

    Greg Rodgers displays strengths across a broad range of debt and equity offerings, gaining market attention for his specialist knowledge of direct listings and convertible debt.
    • He is an expert in what he does and he's super strategic.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Greg offers outstanding, highly sophisticated client service.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2Mollie Duckworth
    Band 2Mollie Duckworth

    Mollie Duckworth

    Mollie Duckworth is a popular choice for clients in the energy industry seeking guidance on a range of debt and equity offerings, including IPOs and follow-on offerings.

    • Mollie is a high quality resource for us and always employs a solution-oriented approach to every workstream.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Mollie has been excellent to work with, and is responsive and knowledgeable.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2Shayne Kennedy
    Band 2Shayne Kennedy

    Shayne Kennedy

    Shayne Kennedy impresses clients with his ability to handle complex debt and equity securities offerings. He is particularly experienced at advising on IPOs in the life sciences and technology industries.
    • Shayne has a sense of the practical, what works and how to manage expectations.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Shayne is always accessible, attentive and a good partner in trying to resolve the obstacles we run into in the course of transactions.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2Stelios Saffos
    Band 2Stelios Saffos

    Stelios Saffos

    Stelios Saffos has established his market standing as a force in the New York capital markets space, displaying strengths in IPOs and high-yield debt, as part of a wide transactional skill set.
    • He is deeply networked and extremely knowledgeable.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Stelios is a highly engaging and skillful lawyer. He is highly commercial and goes above and beyond to deliver the very best outcome for his clients.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Stelios is outstanding, he is always our first call. He is the one who comes up with innovative ideas by being incredibly commercial and is always striving to broker the most commercial outcome.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 2Steven B Stokdyk
    Band 2Steven B Stokdyk

    Steven B Stokdyk

    Steven Stokdyk is a distinguished figure in the California legal market. He focuses his practice on the representation of issuers and underwriters in transactional securities matters, such as IPOs and debt offerings.
    • I can always count on Steven to be there on short notice when novel issues or questions arise.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Steven is the best in the business. He is almost always my number one phone call.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is thoughtful, careful in his work and delivers excellent counsel.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 3Cheston Larson
    Band 3Cheston Larson

    Cheston Larson

    Cheston Larson maintains a robust practice, which sees him advising issuing companies, and their underwriters, on diverse capital markets transactions. He is notably adept at providing counsel to organizations in the pharmaceutical sector.
    • Cheston is a fantastic attorney and a great business partner.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Cheston is someone to run something by, not just for a legal but also a business perspective.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 3John Greer
    Band 3John Greer

    John Greer

    John Greer has experience in debt and equity transactions across a range of industries, with a particular strength in the energy sector.
    • John is an exceptional attorney who provides excellent advice and advocacy.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 3Michael Benjamin
    Band 3Michael Benjamin

    Michael Benjamin

    Michael Benjamin has a great reputation for his work on capital markets transactions, representing companies and investment banks in varied debt and equity offerings.
    • He is always attentive and has deep knowledge across a range of topics.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Michael has a highly differentiated blend of commercial aptitude and legal proficiency. He knows what works and is always on the lookout for how to best serve his clients

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Michael is fantastic, he's got tons of experience. He helps us to be commercial but does so in a smart way.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Michael is a rare breed of lawyer who is able to deliver sophisticated legal advice in pithy rhetorical packages.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is a commercial lawyer who is able to find common ground.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 3Nathan Ajiashvili
    Band 3Nathan Ajiashvili

    Nathan Ajiashvili

    Nathan Ajiashvili comes particularly recommended for debt and equity transactions in the biotech and healthcare sectors.
    • He is so business-minded, practical and helpful. He tries to get to a resolution on difficult issues in a very collaborative way.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is an energetic lawyer and a good problem solver.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is a very commercial guy who knows how to read the room.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Nathan is a truly outstanding capital markets lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 3Sarah Axtell
    Band 3Sarah Axtell

    Sarah Axtell

    Sarah Axtell handles the full range of capital markets transactions, with clients including companies in the technology market and major investment banks.
    • Sarah is a tireless worker and a thoughtful lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Sarah is a rising star and one of my favorite partners to collaborate with on a transaction.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Bill Nelson
    Band 4Bill Nelson

    Bill Nelson

    Bill Nelson adeptly supports a variety of clients, particularly SPACs and major investment banks.
    • Bill was instrumental in helping with a SPAC transaction.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Erika Weinberg
    Band 4Erika Weinberg

    Erika Weinberg

    Erika Weinberg is a respected capital markets attorney with a comprehensive securities practice.
    • She was great and very pragmatic when she came across issues.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • She is one of the few lawyers on the street that can be on the bank side or issuer side.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Erika is a go-to partner for high yield. She's very responsive and commercial - it is a great partnership all around.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Erika is a pleasure to work with.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Lewis Kneib
    Band 4Lewis Kneib

    Lewis Kneib

    Cochair of the LA and Century City corporate department, Lewis Kneib has considerable strength in the capital markets space. He is adept at handling transactions in the hospitality and real estate sectors.
    • Lewis is one of the most practical and business friendly lawyers you could meet.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Lewis is one of our go-to capital markets people, he's an expert in the space.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Nick Dhesi
    Band 4Nick Dhesi

    Nick Dhesi

    Nick Dhesi has extensive experience advising clients on a range of capital markets transactions including IPOs, high-yield debt offerings and preferred financings.
    • Nick is a smart lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Peter N Handrinos
    Band 4Peter N Handrinos

    Peter N Handrinos

    Peter Handrinos draws widespread praise for his extensive experience advising on IPOs and other high-value capital markets transactions. He counts global financial institutions and pharmaceutical companies among his clients.
    • He is able to gain the confidence of clients very easily. People feel safe when they work with Peter.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 4Senet S. Bischoff
    Band 4Senet S. Bischoff

    Senet S. Bischoff

    Senet Bischoff has a broad capital markets practice, acting for issuers, underwriters and private equity sponsors on diverse securities transactions.
    • He is well respected and a very strong lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is a really excellent lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • He is really deeply into the law and interacting with regulators.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 5Alison Haggerty
    Band 5Alison Haggerty

    Alison Haggerty

    Alison Haggerty is known for her work in equity capital markets, regularly advising issuers and underwriters on IPOs.

    • Alison is a very adept and astute partner and extremely well versed in the capital markets.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • She routinely brings exceptional commercial awareness and legal expertise to meetings.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Her customer service approach has consistently provided our team access at all hours of the day.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • She is great, always collaborative, wants to get the deal done and is an excellent lawyer.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • She always provides a level headed perspective, working to help us provide the best positioning through complex matters.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 5Benjamin J Cohen
    Band 5Benjamin J Cohen

    Benjamin J Cohen

    Benjamin Cohen advises on both debt and equity transactions, including complex IPOs and direct listings.
    • Benjamin is always attentive and has deep knowledge on a range of topics.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
    • Benjamin is absolutely fantastic, he is always available and he always gives right, business-minded advice.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • Band 5Patrick Shannon
    Band 5Patrick Shannon

    Patrick Shannon

    Patrick Shannon leads a variety of capital market transactions for a strong portfolio of private and public clients from Latham's Washington, DC office. His experience includes advising clients on IPOs and equity and debt offerings.
    • He was excellent on all fronts.

      Capital Markets: High-Yield Products respondentGlobal
  • USA, expertise based abroad in UKBrett Cassidy
    USA, expertise based abroad in UKBrett Cassidy

    Brett Cassidy

    Brett Cassidy is a leading high-yield practitioner who regularly advises a mixture of corporates and financial institutions across a spectrum of transactions. His practice is market-leading and he routinely works on the largest deals in the space.
  • USA, expertise based abroad in ItalyJeffrey H Lawlis
    USA, expertise based abroad in ItalyJeffrey H Lawlis

    Jeffrey H Lawlis

    US-qualified partner Jeffrey Lawlis offers expertise in sustainable, PIK and high yield bonds. He mainly acts for financial entities such as bank consortiums.

Ranked Individuals at Latham & Watkins LLP (28)

USA

  • Profile image of J Michael Chambers

    J Michael Chambers

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of Ryan Maierson

    Ryan Maierson

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of David Miller

    David Miller

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of Mollie Duckworth

    Mollie Duckworth

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of John Greer

    John Greer

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of Bill Nelson

    Bill Nelson

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of Nick Dhesi

    Nick Dhesi

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Central United States

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  • Profile image of Marc D Jaffe

    Marc D Jaffe

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Ian Schuman

    Ian Schuman

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Greg Rodgers

    Greg Rodgers

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Stelios Saffos

    Stelios Saffos

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Michael Benjamin

    Michael Benjamin

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Nathan Ajiashvili

    Nathan Ajiashvili

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Erika Weinberg

    Erika Weinberg

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Peter N Handrinos

    Peter N Handrinos

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Senet S. Bischoff

    Senet S. Bischoff

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Alison Haggerty

    Alison Haggerty

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Benjamin J Cohen

    Benjamin J Cohen

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Patrick Shannon

    Patrick Shannon

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States

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  • Profile image of Richard A Kline

    Richard A Kline

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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  • Profile image of Tad Freese

    Tad Freese

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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  • Profile image of Shayne Kennedy

    Shayne Kennedy

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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  • Profile image of Steven B Stokdyk

    Steven B Stokdyk

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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  • Profile image of Cheston Larson

    Cheston Larson

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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  • Profile image of Sarah Axtell

    Sarah Axtell

    Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Western United States

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