Welcome to The Docket, amNewYork Law’s weekly column focused on the movers and shakers in New York’s legal community. 

Paul Hastings adds private credit partner at NYC office

Peter Williams has joined Paul Hastings LLP as a partner in its New York office with a focus on global finance. 

Coming over to Paul Hastings from Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Williams is considered one of the best private credit lawyers in the industry and has experience structuring and executing private credit transactions across the capital structure, including traditional first-lien, unitranche, stretch senior, second-lien and subordinated-loan transactions, as well as preferred equity, structured equity and equity co-investments.

“Peter’s deep experience and long-standing client relationships will further strengthen our leading position from sponsor-backed acquisition financings to traditional bank lending as well as with opportunistic private credit lenders,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “With established relationships with the leading asset managers in credit, he will play a pivotal role in deepening and expanding our institutional partnerships as we continue to evolve and strengthen our premier, globally integrated finance offerings and gain additional market share at the top of the finance market.”

Prior to Cahill, Williams was a managing director at KKR, where he worked alongside the senior investment team and oversaw outside counsel’s structuring and documentation of hundreds of acquisition financings and other transactions.

In joining Paul Hastings, Williams is reuniting with a former colleague, Jennifer Daily, who chairs the firm’s Private Credit & Special Situations team. She joined the firm in 2024. 

“Paul Hastings has built the leading private credit and broader global finance platform, with strong momentum across the market,” said Williams. “The firm’s deep relationships with leading direct lenders and investment banks — combined with its strength across all areas touching credit, including infrastructure and projects, asset-backed and structured credit, real estate and restructuring and special situations — align seamlessly with my practice.”

Williams graduated from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2010 with a judicial degree. He has been admitted to the New York bar.

O’Melveny adds new partner in financial services
Leading regulatory enforcement lawyer Todd M. Beaton, Jr. has joined O’Melveny’s New York office as a partner in its securities litigation & financial services practice. Leading regulatory enforcement lawyer Todd M. Beaton, Jr. has joined O’Melveny’s New York office as a partner in its securities litigation & financial services practice. 

Leading regulatory enforcement lawyer Todd M. Beaton, Jr. has joined O’Melveny’s New York office as a partner in its securities litigation & financial services practice. 

Beaton is recognized among the nation’s top financial services and broker-dealer enforcement lawyers by Chambers USA. His experience over the last two decades includes service as a chief counsel in the Enforcement Department at FINRA, an SRO under SEC oversight that is responsible for protecting investors, overseeing broker-dealers, and safeguarding the integrity of capital markets. Before entering private practice, he served as a clerk to the Hon. Richard K. Eaton of the US Court of International Trade.

Beaton comes to O’Melveny from the New York office of McGuireWoods, where he was a partner in that firm’s Securities Enforcement & Regulatory Counseling Practice. 

“It is a pleasure to welcome Todd to our firm as we continue to expand our industry-leading broker-dealer team,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Todd is a respected strategic adviser and top-notch enforcement lawyer with impeccable FINRA credentials. Our financial services clients, especially those in the complex and highly regulated broker-dealer space, will immediately benefit from Todd’s broad experience and exceptional skillset.”

Beaton earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Albany Law School in 2005; he has been admitted to the New York bar and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“I’m excited to join O’Melveny and to work alongside Jim Burns and Brant Brown as we extend the firm’s impressive range of litigation, advisory, and regulatory services,” said Beaton. “O’Melveny is synonymous with excellence, and the firm’s collaborative culture is truly extraordinary. It’s an ideal fit for my practice and my clients.”

Kirkland & Ellis boosts its real estate practice with new partner

Anthony Mongone Jr., has joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group with the New York office.

Mongone advises commercial real estate investors, mortgage REITs and private debt funds on complex real estate transactions. He also represents investors in development and emerging real asset transactions, including in the digital infrastructure, single-family/residential transitional and logistics sectors.

“Anthony is a highly accomplished real estate finance lawyer with deep experience leading complex financings across the capital structure, including structured back leverage instruments and mortgage investing,” said Jon A. Ballis, chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “His arrival strengthens our already deep real estate platform and reflects our continued commitment to investing in leading talent and capabilities to help our clients finance capital deployment.”

Mongone Jr. joins the practice from Ropes & Gray LLP, where he was a partner. He has been featured on panels regarding mortgage and distressed investing. 

“I have been involved in all aspects of the evolving commercial real estate finance and back leverage markets and look forward to continue driving creativity in capital formation in this space,” said Mongone. “Kirkland has long been recognized as a market-leader in real assets and is the perfect fit for my practice, which sits right at the center of private equity, private credit and special situations.”

Mongone received his J.D. from Columbia Law School. He was admitted to the New York bar in 2014.

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