Biography
Eliot Relles is a partner in Weil’s Banking & Finance practice and is based in New York. He represents borrowers and lenders (including numerous prominent non-bank private lenders) on a variety of complex corporate finance transactions, including acquisition financing, leveraged lending, unitranche and first out/last out financings, structured financial arrangements, asset-based lending, work-outs, restructurings of troubled companies and debtor-in-possession loans.
Eliot has more than 20 years of experience representing middle market direct lenders in hundreds of loans to privately-owned companies and portfolio companies of numerous private equity funds, including A&M Capital; ACON Investments; American Securities; Aterian; Carlyle; HIG Capital; Kelso; KPS Capital; MiddleGround; MidOcean; Monomoy; One Equity; SK Capital; Sun Capital and Wellspring.
Experience*
Sampling of select transactions
- Represent direct lenders in connection with a senior secured credit facility to facilitate the acquisition of and provide working capital funding to a leading United States retailers (with over 600 stores across the country).
- Represent certain hedge funds in the provision of secured loans to and a preferred equity investment in a newly formed joint venture company, the proceeds of which were used to fund the construction of double-hulled deep-water tankers for use in the U.S. energy market.
- Represent a direct lender in the provision of second lien secured loans to finance the acquisition of a leading supplier of electrical power systems for the office furniture, appliance and transportation industries.
- Represent a direct lender in financing the recapitalization of an independent sports production, program development, marketing services and sales representation company.
- Represent certain hedge funds and other lenders in the provision of secured loans to finance the acquisition of a Vancouver-based casino and its exit from reorganization proceedings in British Columbia, Canada.
- Represent a German bank in the provision of bridge loans to finance an investor’s acquisition of equity interests in a Spanish real estate development project.
- Represent a domestic finance company, as borrower, in a $1.625-billion syndicated secured credit facility, a $500-million medium-term note conduit facility, and a $200-million junior secured credit facility provided by certain foreign banks, the proceeds of which were used to fund the finance company’s origination and purchase of loans made to and debt securities issued by third-party domestic and foreign borrowers.
- Represent a hedge fund, as borrower, under a $500-million credit facility secured by the fund’s direct investments, its indirect equity interests in other hedge funds and the securities held in its prime brokerage accounts.
Eliot received his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was editor of the Hofstra University Law Review. He received his B.A. from University of Michigan.
*Includes matters handled prior to joining Weil.