Roderick Branch focuses on capital markets transactions and securities regulation, with a particular interest in securities offerings by non-US issuers.

Mr. Branch has extensive experience in securities financings in public and private markets, and has represented public- and private-sector companies, investment banks, and sovereign governments in global capital markets transactions.

Since 2001, Mr. Branch has practiced in New York, Paris, and Chicago. He is a native of Mexico City, and is fluent in Spanish and French and proficient in Italian.

Mr. Branch has recently represented the following clients in the following transactions:

Latin America

  • BofA Securities, Citi, and J.P. Morgan in a US$350 million private placement of convertible notes by Copa Holdings, the parent company of Copa Airlines, which was the first convertible note financing by a Latin American issuer in more than 12 months as of the date of its closing
  • The Inter-American Development Bank, as guarantor, in a US$400 million private placement of debt securities issued by the Republic of Ecuador in compliance with the Social Bond Principles of the International Capital Markets Association, which was the world’s first offering of social bonds by a sovereign issuer
  • Infraestructura Energética Nova (IEnova), the largest private-sector energy company in Mexico by market capitalization, in its:
    • US$241 million bank financing from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and US$100 million bank financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, both of which were made under applicable green loan principles
    • US$840 million inaugural bond offering on the international capital markets, consisting of US$300 million in 3.750% 10-year notes, and US$540 million in 4.875% 30-year notes
    • US$1.6 billion follow-on equity offering, the largest equity sale in Latin America during the year of its closing and LatinFinance’s Follow-on Offering of the Year
    • US$598 million global initial public offering, the first IPO by an energy company on the Mexican Stock Exchange
  • J.P. Morgan and Santander in private placements of US$490 million of debt securities by WOM, a leading provider of mobile voice and data services in Chile
  • Promecap Acquisition Company in its US$300 million global initial public offering, the first Mexico-focused SPAC IPO in Latin America
  • Vista Oil & Gas in its US$650 million global initial public offering, the first SPAC IPO in Latin America and the first energy exploration and production-focused IPO in Mexico, which was LatinFinance’s Financing Innovation of the Year and cited as “commended” by The Financial Times in its North America Innovative Lawyers Report
  • J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley in a US$1.4 billion private placement of debt securities by VTR Finance, the parent of Chile’s largest provider of broadband internet services in its footprint and the second-largest provider of fixed-line telephony services in Chile, which was the largest high yield offering in Latin America during the 12 months preceding its closing
  • The ad-hoc committee of secured bondholders in the Argentine Province of Neuquén’s consent solicitation to modify certain terms of its outstanding US$317 million 8.625% Secured Notes due 2028 to reflect the underlying cash flows of the collateral trust securing the Province’s payment obligations
  • The ad-hoc committee of secured bondholders in the Argentine Province of Chubut’s consent solicitation to modify certain terms of its outstanding US$650 million 7.75% secured amortizing notes due 2026 to reflect the underlying cash flows of the collateral trust securing the Province’s payment obligations

United States and Europe

  • Aon Corporation in a public offering of US$1 billion of investment grade debt securities guaranteed by the issuer’s Irish parent and subsidiaries of the parent organized under the laws of England and Wales, which was consummated before Aon completed its combination with Willis Towers Watson, an all-stock transaction with an implied combined equity value of approximately US$80 billion
  • Hyatt Hotels in bank and bond financings of more than US$5 billion and in its US$1.1 billion initial public offering, the second-largest initial public offering by a US issuer by proceeds in the year of its closing
  • BofA Securities, Credit Suisse, and J.P. Morgan in a US$675 million private placement of high yield debt securities by Viking Cruise Lines, which were sold by a Bermuda-incorporated issuer, guaranteed by subsidiaries in nine jurisdictions in Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Caribbean and secured directly or indirectly by material intellectual property, certain passenger databases, 20 Swiss river vessels, and an English law-governed assignment of certain rights relating to the river vessels
  • Ventas, a leading real estate investment trust, in public offerings of more than US$4.5 billion of investment grade debt securities
  • Illinois Tool Works, in offerings of €1 billion of investment grade debt securities marketed to European investors from London and listed on the New York Stock Exchange
  • J.P. Morgan, NatWest, and Société Générale in a US$600 million public offering of investment grade debt securities by CNH Industrial Capital, the captive finance subsidiary of Netherlands-based, London-headquartered CNH Industrial, a leading capital goods company
  • TransUnion in its US$3 billion leveraged buyout by affiliates of Advent International and GS Capital Partners, including change of control commitments for US$645 million of high yield debt securities, a related consent solicitation, and an additional offering of US$600 million of high yield debt securities, and in its US$645 million private placement of high yield debt securities, part of the US$1.8 billion financing raised in connection with TransUnion’s leveraged buyout by Madison Dearborn Partners
  • TechnipFMC PLC, a United Kingdom public limited company formed to hold the combined energy infrastructure businesses of Houston, Texas-based FMC Technologies, Inc. and Paris, France-based Technip S.A., a transaction with an equity value of US$13 billion, in its public offering of 482,357,579 ordinary shares, which were listed on the NYSE and Paris Euronext
  • LivaNova PLC, a United Kingdom public limited company formed to hold the combined businesses of Milan, Italy-based Sorin S.p.A. and Houston, Texas-based Cyberonics, Inc., a transaction with an equity value of approximately US$2.7 billion, in its public offering of 50,453,484 ordinary shares, which were listed on NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois
  • New York

Education

  • JD, Harvard Law School, 2001
  • BA, Texas Christian University, 1998

Languages Spoken

  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish