Samuel Rettew represents clients in all types of capital markets transactions, with a particular focus on initial public offerings.

Mr. Rettew advises private equity firms, as well as public and private companies, on public and private financing transactions, including:

  • Initial public offerings
  • Follow-on offerings
  • Secured and unsecured debt offerings
  • Leveraged buyouts (LBOs) and other debt financing
  • Early-stage financing
  • DeSPACs

He also advises clients on general corporate governance, including public company securities matters.

Mr. Rettew brings a results-oriented approach to highly complex transactions that require execution across borders, amid novel regulatory environments, and on demanding timelines.

He draws on experience practicing in the Washington, D.C., and Houston offices and serving on the firm’s Training & Career Enhancement Committee to efficiently connect clients to Latham’s global cross-practice platform. Mr. Rettew previously led Latham’s LBGTQ+ Lawyers Group in the Washington, D.C., office, reflecting his commitment to collaboration and mentoring.

Mr. Rettew’s experience includes advising:

LBOs and Debt Transactions

  • 2U on a US$250 million financing provided by a direct lending institution in connection with the acquisition of Trilogy Education
  • BigCommerce Holdings, a leading open SaaS ecommerce platform, on its offering of US$300 million convertible senior notes
  • Bridgepoint Advisers on a US$400 million financing transaction related to an investment in Kyriba Corp. 
  • Carlyle on a:
    • US$1 billion senior notes offering in connection with its US$9.2 billion acquisition, including committed acquisition financing, of Akzo Nobel’s specialty chemicals business
    • US$425 million senior notes offering in connection with its US$3.2 billion acquisition, including committed acquisition financing, of Atotech, as well as Atotech’s subsequent US$300 million PIK notes offering
  • CONSOL Energy on various transactions, including US$500 million and US$1.6 billion senior notes offerings 
  • The initial purchasers on CPG International’s US$350 million senior notes offering, one of the first high yield offerings to feature a COVID-specific EBITDA adjustment (Ares portfolio company)
  • Host Hotels & Resorts on its US$150 million Series I senior notes offering of green bonds
  • The initial purchasers on Jeld‑Wen’s US$250 million senior secured first lien notes offering (Onex portfolio company)
  • A special purpose acquisition vehicle on acquisition financing and issuance of US$475 million senior secured second lien notes related to Nesco Holdings I’s merger with and into publicly traded special purpose acquisition vehicle 
  • The initial purchasers on Six Flags Theme Parks’ US$725 million senior secured first lien notes offering

Equity Offerings and IPOs

  • Atotech, a specialty chemicals company, on the sponsor-backed IPO of a foreign private issuer (Carlyle portfolio company)
  • The underwriters on the sponsor-backed US$765 million IPO for building products company The AZEK Company (Ares portfolio company)
  • The underwriters on a series of equity offerings totaling more than US$2 billion by PRA Health Sciences (former KKR portfolio company)
  • The underwriters on Jeld-Wen’s US$575 million IPO of common stock, as well as in subsequent secondary offerings totaling approximately US$800 million (Onex portfolio company)
  • PennTex Midstream Partners on its US$225 million IPO of common units   

Liability Management

  • The Carlyle Group on an exchange offer and consent solicitation related to Sequa’s outstanding senior notes as part of a prepackaged plan of reorganization
  • Hornbeck Offshore Service on debt restructuring and exchange offer of credit facility borrowings for new credit facility borrowings
  • Niska Gas Storage Partners on a private exchange offer of outstanding senior notes, including drafting and negotiating exchange documentation and a promissory note reflecting the terms of the new debt
  • SM Energy on an exchange offer and consent solicitation related to five series of its outstanding senior unsecured notes, totaling approximately US$2.5 billion, and its issuance of new secured exchange notes

Bar Qualification

  • District of Columbia
  • Texas

Education

  • JD, The University of Texas School of Law, 2012
  • BA in Political Science, Northwestern University, 2009
  • Bachelor of Music Performance, Northwestern University, 2009

Industries