Paul Hastings announced that private credit lawyer Peter Williams has joined the firm as a partner in New York. His arrival further strengthens the firm’s Global Finance platform.
Williams joins from Cahill Gordon & Reindel, where he co-headed the firm’s Chambers-ranked Private Credit practice. He has extensive experience structuring and executing private credit transactions across the capital structure.
His practice includes traditional first-lien, unitranche, stretch senior, second-lien, and subordinated-loan transactions. He also advises on preferred equity, structured equity, and equity co-investments.
Before joining Cahill, Williams was a managing director at KKR. In that role, he worked alongside the senior investment team and oversaw outside counsel’s structuring and documentation of hundreds of acquisition financings and other transactions.
Williams advises leading private credit investors on complex and high-profile transactions. His client work has included matters for private credit lenders and asset managers, including Blackstone Credit and Insurance, Blue Owl, KKR Credit, Silver Point Capital, Francisco Partners, and FalconX.
Representative matters include advising Francisco Partners on its strategic investment in ActivTrak. He has also represented direct lenders on a unitranche credit facility comprising $2.65 billion in first-lien term loans, $940 million in delayed-draw term commitments, and $250 million in revolving commitments.
Williams also advised financing sources in connection with Bain Capital’s acquisition of Service Logic in partnership with Mubadala Investment Company. His practice spans jumbo acquisition financings, middle-market and opportunistic financings, and bespoke lending transactions involving digital assets.
His arrival adds further depth to Paul Hastings’ private credit and broader finance capabilities. The firm said its Global Finance platform has tripled in size and revenue over the past five years.
Williams reunites with former colleague Jennifer Daly, chair of Private Credit & Special Situations at Paul Hastings. Daly joined the firm in 2024 with a restructuring and private credit team that included more than 10 partners and nearly 20 attorneys.
Paul Hastings has also made several other additions across its global finance platform. These include a 15-lawyer team led by Mo Nurmohamed and Ross Anderson from Latham & Watkins in London, a three-partner group from Cahill in New York, an eight-partner team from Vinson & Elkins in Texas, and a funds finance team with lawyers from Haynes Boone, Cadwalader, and Mayer Brown in Charlotte.
Paul Hastings represents major investment banks and direct lenders across private credit, leveraged finance, and fund finance. The firm advises investment banks, asset managers, and corporations across 17 core practices globally.
KEY QUOTES:
“We believe that we have systematically built the leading global finance and credit platform across leveraged finance, private credit, investment-grade finance and fund finance, and 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. 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.”
Frank Lopez, Firm Chair of Paul Hastings
“Paul Hastings has built the leading private credit and broader global finance platform, with strong momentum across the market. 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. I’m also especially pleased to be reunited with Jennifer and look forward to collaborating with her and my new colleagues to continue the firm’s growth trajectory.”
Peter Williams, Partner at Paul Hastings
