Brad Kotler serves as Vice Chair of Latham & Watkins and a member of its Executive Committee. Mr. Kotler is a finance partner in the Chicago office, where his practice focuses on advising clients on a range of complex credit financings. He regularly counsels both creditors — including major investment banks — and borrowers.

Mr. Kotler structures, negotiates, and documents financings for acquisitions and working capital purposes, including:

  • Secured and unsecured term and revolving credit facilities
  • Tender-offer and second-step merger financings
  • Debtor-in-possession facilities
  • Large cap and middle market cash flow and asset-based loans (ABLs)
  • Islamic financings

Drawing on nearly a quarter century of experience with innovative financings, Mr. Kotler has consistently earned recognition from clients for his banking and finance work. Chambers USA quotes clients describing Mr. Kotler as a “very knowledgeable, reasonable and good negotiator,” as well as someone who “responds quickly, provides good advice and understands and can separate legal versus business issues.” Mr. Kotler was recognized in the 2020 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in Banking & Finance.

Leadership

Mr. Kotler has held several firm leadership positions. He previously served as the Managing Partner of the Chicago office, as Global Vice Chair of Latham’s Finance Department, as Local Department Chair for the Finance Department in Chicago, and as the Chicago office representative on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, Recruiting Committee, and Women Enriching Business (WEB) Committee. Mr. Kotler previously served as the Co-Chair of the Board of Keshet, a not-for-profit organization providing educational, recreational, and residential services to special needs adults and children in Chicago.

Mr. Kotler has significant experience in multi-jurisdictional and multi-currency finance transactions throughout the world. His representative work for lenders includes advising:

  • Goldman Sachs International, as investment agent, in providing a debtor-in-possession and exit Murabaha facility to Arcapita Investment Holdings Limited; earning The American Lawyer’s 2014 Global Finance Deal of the Year award
  • Goldman Sachs in its term loan and ABL financing of Murray Energy Corporation
  • Deutsche Bank in its cross-border financing of GCP Applied Technologies Inc.
  • Goldman Sachs in its cross-border financing of W.R. Grace & Co. – Conn.
  • Bank of America, N.A. in its exit financing of Key Energy Services, Inc.
  • Goldman Sachs in its financing of Mars Incorporated’s acquisition of The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

His representative work for borrowers includes advising:

  • Bass Pro Group, LLC in its ABL and term loan financing of its acquisition of Cabela’s Incorporated
  • Hyatt Hotels Corporation in its working capital revolving credit facility
  • Koch Industries, Inc., in its financing of a US$22 billion acquisition of Georgia-Pacific Corporation, reported at the time as the second largest going-private transaction in US history (including the largest Term B financing and the largest second-lien financing)

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois
  • New York

Education

  • JD, Georgetown University Law Center, 1995
  • BBA, Emory University, 1992