John R. Sobolewski

Partner

New York
john.sobolewski@lw.com
+1.212.906.1876

PRACTICES

  • Banking
  • Capital Markets
  • Communications
  • Private Equity
  • Private Equity Finance
  • Real Estate
  • Restructuring & Special Situations

INDUSTRIES

  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Entertainment, Sports & Media
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • REITs
  • Retail & Consumer Products
  • Technology

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • New York

EDUCATION

  • JD, Harvard Law School, 2008
  • BA, Boston College, 2005

PROFILE

John Sobolewski represents sponsors and corporate borrowers in their most complex financing and liability management transactions.

He is the Global Chair of Latham’s Liability Management practice.

John’s practice spans the full range of leveraged finance, including liability management and special situations, leveraged M&A and LBOs, complex hybrid capital, debt capital markets offerings and exchanges, syndicated and direct loans, NAV loans and capital call facilities, management company financings, and out-of-court workouts.

John has led many of the largest and most complex liability management exercises seen in the market, and has received numerous recognitions for his work in the field.

John has been recognized by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Dealmakers in America, and as one of the 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy & Restructuring Lawyers. He has also been awarded the “Leading Lawyers–Highly Regarded” ranking by IFLR.

John was named “Legal Advisor of the Year” by the M&A Advisor’s 18th Annual Turnaround Awards for his liability management work. John was named to Turnarounds & Workouts’ 2024 list of “Outstanding Restructuring Lawyers” for his liability management work. In its 2023 edition, Legal 500 called John “a key contact for liability management transactions.”

John writes frequently on financing and liability management matters, and his work has been published in CFO magazine, Financier Worldwide magazine, the International Comparative Legal Guide, and the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.

John has advised clients across industries, including technology, communications, media and entertainment, REITS and real estate, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, retail, education, transportation and logistics, and energy.

EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining Latham, John’s notable representations include: 

Financing – Funds and Private Equity

  • Leading asset managers in various financing matters, including The Carlyle Group, Searchlight Capital, Siris Capital, Tiger Global, TPG Angelo Gordon, and Warburg Pincus

Liability Management

  • Lumen Technologies in over US$15 billion of credit facility and notes extension and amendment transactions and a related US$2.325 billion of new money notes issuances and new revolving commitments
  • Veritas Technologies in over US$4 billion of exchange and refinancing transactions
  • Mitel Networks in its US$1.35 billion of exchange, amendment, and financing transactions and subsequent litigation
  • Travelport in its US$3.6 billion of superpriority financing and exchange transactions, its subsequent US$2.05 billion junior priority exchange transaction, and its US$2.6 billion 2023 out-of-court deleveraging, restructuring, and new equity transactions
  • Office Properties Income Trust in various matters, including its 2024 notes exchange transactions
  • Mallinckrodt in various exchange offers and other financing and restructuring matters
  • Intelsat in over US$6 billion of issuances of high-yield, holdco, and convertible notes, as well as related notes tenders and purchases
  • Angelo Gordon in various matters, including in connection with its debt investment in a subsidiary of Envision Healthcare

Financing – Corporate

  • T-Mobile in various matters, including its acquisition of Sprint, related US$38 billion in financing commitments, US$39 billion in consent solicitations, and associated bridge loan, credit agreement, and senior notes issuances
  • Gap in various matters, including its US$1.87 billion ABL credit agreement, US$2.25 billion senior secured notes issuances, and subsequent US$1.5 billion unsecured notes issuances and related tender offers
  • XPO Logistics in various matters, including financing its €3.24 billion acquisition of Norbert Dentressangle S.A., its US$3 billion acquisition of Con-Way, and subsequent refinancings, repricings, and new debt issuances
  • Cengage in various matters, including its loan and preferred stock issuances

Before joining Latham, he was a partner at Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.