Katherine Reaves

Based in the New York office, Katherine Reaves is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Banking and Credit Practice. She represents top-tier private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as other public and private companies, on a broad spectrum of secured and unsecured financing transactions, including acquisition financings, asset-based lending facilities, recapitalizations, refinancings, distressed financing and other complex financing matters. Her clients have included Warburg Pincus, Brookfield, TPG, GTCR, Berkshire Partners, Google (and its parent company Alphabet Inc.), Honeywell and Verizon, among others.   In 2019, Katie was recognized by Euromoney Legal Media Group for her work on the “Deal of the Year,” the financing for ESL’s $5.2 billion acquisition of Sears Holdings in a 363 Sale. 

Katie’s reputation in the banking and finance market has been lauded, including in Chambers USA in Banking & Finance, where clients note her as “extremely knowledgeable and a team player” who is “incredibly creative in her solutions.”  She is recognized by Chambers USA and IFLR 1000 as a “Rising Star” and was shortlisted in 2023 for the Euromoney Legal Media Group Women in Business Law Awards Banking & Finance Lawyer of the Year.

Notable experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes advising:

• Warburg Pincus in the financings for numerous acquisitions and recapitalizations, including Service Express, Exeter Finance, TRC, CityMD, Consolidated Precision Products, Sotera Health and Rural/Metro
• Warburg Pincus and its portfolio company CityMD in connection with the financings for the acquisitions of Summit Medical Group, Westmed and NJU
• Brookfield in the financing for its acquisition of Scientific Games
• Altaris in the financings for its acquisition of Solesis and Johnson Matthey’s health business
• TPG in the financings for its acquisition of Envision Pharmaceuticals, DTZ, Cassidy Turley and Cushman & Wakefield
• Berkshire Partners, Warburg Pincus, and their portfolio company Consolidated Precision Products in connection with numerous financings, including financings for the acquisitions of Selmet and Poly6
• GTCR, Warburg Pincus, and their portfolio company Sotera Health in connection with numerous financings, including the acquisition financings for the acquisitions of certain assets of Iotron Industries, Nelson Laboratories, and Toxikon Europe
• Warburg Pincus in connection with finanacng matters relating to its $8.9 billion sale of CityMD
• ESL Investments in numerous financing transactions, including the financing for its acquisition of Sears in a Section 363 Sale
• Brookfield Asset Management in the refinancing of Capital Automotive’s credit facilities
• Cushman & Wakefield in connection with numerous financing transactions and reorganization transactions, including its $3.51 billion senior secured credit facilities following its IPO and its secured bonds
• Investment-grade term loan and revolving credit facilities for investment-grade borrowers, including Alphabet Inc., Honeywell International, Verizon and McCormick & Co.
• Honeywell International Inc. in financings relating to its spin-offs of Garrett Motion and Resideo
• MacAndrews & Forbes in the financing for its acquisition of Valassis.
• Endurance International Group in its $1.1 billion acquisition of Constant Contact
• KBR Inc. in numerous financing transactions
• General Mills Inc. in connection with the financing of its $8 billion acquisition of Blue Buffalo Pet Products
• McCormick & Co. in connection with the financing of its $4.2 billion acquisition of the food business of Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc
• Samsonite in connection with the financing of its $1.8 billion acquisition of Tumi
• Kraton Polymers in numerous financing transactions, including its financing for the $1.37 billion acquisition of Arizona Chemical Holdings
• Ports America in connection with numerous financing transactions
• Port Newark Container Terminal in connection with the project financing of its terminal development project at Port Newark

Katie received her J.D. from University of Chicago Law School in 2010 and her B.A. from Yale College in 2005. She is admitted to practice in New York.