Austin Witt

Partner, Debt Finance
Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Austin Witt is a debt finance partner in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Austin represents borrowers, sponsors, direct lenders, distressed investors and creditors in a wide range of restructurings, liability management matters, direct lending transactions, rescue financings, DIP financings, exit financings and other high-yield financing transactions. He is particularly experienced in advising clients in credit opportunities and special situations transactions, and he has worked on some of the largest and most sophisticated distressed transactions in history.

Prior to joining Kirkland, Austin’s representative direct lending, creditor and distressed investor experience included:

• Carlyle in connection with liability management and exchange transactions involving Incora
• KKR, alongside other investors, in connection with a $2.5 billion preferred equity issuance commitment to support the acquisition of Citrix
• Centerbridge and Oaktree in a $1.25 billion direct loan to OTG, a leading operator of airport concessions
• KKR and KSL as equity sponsors of Apple Leisure and purchasers of $200 million of first lien notes issued by the company in a rescue financing
• Certain investors of Lime, a transportation company that runs electric scooters, bikes and mopeds in various cities around the world, in connection with the company’s $418 million convertible notes offering
• HPS in connection with various amendments to the first lien and second lien credit facilities of American Stock Transfer, with such amendments facilitating a successful orderly sale of the company
• An ad hoc group of term loan lenders in connection with a $806 million exit financing in the prearranged chapter 11 case of Covia Holdings Corporation, a leading provider of diversified mineral-based and material solutions for the global energy and industrial markets
• Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. and Simon Property Group in their acquisition of certain assets of J.C. Penney Company, Inc., including the $520 million takeback first lien credit agreement, in connection with J.C. Penney’s chapter 11 case
• Oaktree Capital Management
  • in its $200 million senior secured term loan to Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. and its subsidiaries, a real estate investment trust investing predominantly in upscale hotels
  • in its $369 million investment in debt, warrants, and preferred equity of TechStyle and warrants of Savage X Holdings
  • in its $105 million investment in senior notes and warrants of Exantas Capital Corporation
  • in its $500 million unsecured loan to United Mortgage, a leading mortgage originator and servicer