Graves, Robert J.

Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Languages

• German

Lawyer Overview

Bob Graves represents lenders and borrowers in a wide variety of commercial financial transactions and has structured, negotiated, and documented scores of senior debt financing arrangements of all types, including secured and unsecured single bank and syndicated credit agreements, multicurrency financing facilities, and acquisition financings. He co-chairs Jones Day's Banking & Finance Practice.

A significant portion of Bob's practice focuses on workouts and restructurings of troubled credits, with particular emphasis on debtor-in-possession and exit financings. Most recently, Bob has been engaged in representing various market participants with respect to a variety of issues that have arisen from the credit crisis and resulting economic downturn. He also has extensive experience in structured finance, particularly in securitizations of credit card and trade receivables and in note and other financial asset monetizations. Bob regularly advises clients on a broad spectrum of financing issues and Uniform Commercial Code matters.

Companies for which Bob has worked on substantial matters include Bank of America, Macy's, Bunge North America, Kaiser Aluminum, and Wachovia Bank.

Bob has written a number of articles and spoken at numerous professional conferences and seminars on commercial financing topics. He is a member of the ABA (Business Law Section); The Chicago Bar Association, where he has served as chair of the Commercial Finance Committee; and the Economic Club of Chicago. He is active in community and charitable affairs.

Areas of Practice

• Banking & Finance
• Business Restructuring & Reorganization
• Lending
• Securitization
• Chapter 11 Debtor Representations
• Bondholder Committees
• Distressed Mergers & Acquisitions
• Global Restructuring Matters
• Official Unsecured Creditors' Committees
• Other Significant Creditor Representations
• Out-of-Court Restructurings
• Restructuring-Related Lending & Finance
• Secured Lender Groups
• Financial Services
• Real Estate Finance

Representative Cases

• Albertson's acquired by consortium of investors for $17.4 billion , (2009)
• Alderwoods amends credit facility
• Alderwoods obtains credit facilities
• Alderwoods refinances DIP facility
• Alderwoods refinances public notes
• Ambac Assurance issues $278 million of Secured Floating Rate Notes in a Rule 144A and Regulation S offering by Hanareum International Funding Limited
• Ambac Assurance serves as credit enhancer in $475 million securitization of Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation leases and loans
• Bearings manufacturer obtains $500 million credit facility
• Board of Performance Transportation Services, second largest U.S. automobile hauler, reviews fiduciary duties to creditors and other constituents, stalking horse bids, and governance issues related to bankruptcy filings , (2009)
• Boscov's Department Stores becomes another victim of the credit crunch , (2009)
• BT Commercial Corporation serves as agent in Levitz restructuring
• Bunge North America finances $40 million acquisition of rail cars , (2009)
• Bunge North America finances $72 million acquisition of rail cars , (2009)
• CIT Group provides DIP financing for Sweet Factory
• CIT Group provides exit financing for Sheffield Steel
• CIT Group refinances Hussey Copper facility
• CPP Holdings finances Metris Companies acquisition
• Duchossois Industries acquires Milestone AV Technologies
• El Paso restructures eight existing credit facilities and obtains new $3 billion facility
• Federated Department Stores form strategic alliance with Citigroup Inc
• Federated sells Bridal Group division to Leonard Green and The Men's Wearhouse
• Francisco Partners acquires GE Global eXchange Services for $800 million
• Greeting card distributor securitizes trade receivables
• HIG Capital invests in Ready Pac Foods
• International food chain securitizes trade receivables
• JohnsonDiversey Holdings sells 46% interest to Clayton Dubilier & Rice as part of a $2.6 billion recapitalization , (2009)
• JPMorgan Chase Bank obtains senior secured credit facility to obtain Quantum Foods
• Kaiser Aluminum and twenty of its subsidiaries emerge successfully from chapter 11 protection , (2009)
• Kaiser Aluminum obtains financing in emergence from bankruptcy
• KeyBank sells distressed loans
• Laidlaw and five affiliates file for chapter 11
• Loan workout planned for Northwestern Atrium
• Morgan Stanley closes $650 million private placement by York Enhanced Strategies Fund , (2009)
• Napster obtains DIP facility
• PPM Finance proposes $300 million revolving credit facility
• R.H. Donnelley acquires Dex Media
• R.H. Donnelley acquires Sprint Corporation's directory publishing business
• R.H. Donnelley completed Rule 144A and Regulation S offering of $1 billion of Series A-4 Senior Notes
• R.H. Donnelley completes debt tender offer of $600 million of Senior Subordinated Notes
• R.H. Donnelley completes Rule 144A and Regulation S offering of $500 million of Series A-4 Senior Notes
• SCFA completes tax credit financing transaction
• SCFH issues senior structured notes in tax credit financing
• SCFNY issues notes to insurance company investors
• Specialty resins manufacturer completes $70 million accounts receivable sale transaction , (2009)
• Specialty resins manufacturer sells $26 million accounts receivables , (2009)
• Specialty resins manufacturer sells $27 million accounts receivables , (2009)
• Teleglobe obtains $57 million DIP facility
• Teleglobe obtains Canadian DIP facility
• The Timken Company finances Torrington acquisition
• Transaction Systems Architects acquires P&H Solutions for $150 million
• Wachovia provides $400 million financing for investment fund acquisitions
• Washington Group obtains $350 million exit financing
• Washington Group obtains $500 million surety bonding facility in exit financing
• Washington Group reprices $350 million credit facility
• WL Ross acquires loan servicing unit of American Home Mortgage , (2009)
• Xcel Energy undergoes $10 billion chapter 11 reorganization of its unregulated utility subsidiary, NRG Energy
• Yellow pages publisher refinances debt

West Practice Categories

Banking & Finance Law, Bankruptcy Law, Business & Commercial Law, Business & Trade, Business Organizations, Collections & Repossessions, Collections & Repossessions, Commercial Bankruptcy, Commercial Banks, Commercial Leasing, Consumer Bankruptcy, Credit Unions, Creditors' Rights, Debt Discharge, Debtor/Creditor, Foreclosures, Garnishment, International Banking, International Law, Lending & Secured Transactions, Loan Workouts, Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures, Mortgages & Foreclosures, Public Finance, Reorganizations, Reorganizations & Restructuring, Savings & Thrifts, Securities Law, State & Municipal Bonds & Financing, Venture Capital, Workouts

Bar Admissions

• Illinois
• New York

Education

• Illinois Wesleyan University
• U of Illinois - Urbana (Main)

Published Works

• The Credit CARD Act of 2009 – Changes Will Affect Consumers, Card Issuers, Retailers, Colleges, and Investors, 2009
• Evaluating Counterparty Risk: Whom Can You Trust?, 2008
• Extraterritorial Application of the USA PATRIOT Act and Related Regimes: Issues for European Banks Operating in the United States, Privacy & Data Security Law Journal, 2007
• Banking and Finance Report, 2007

Address

77 West Wacker
Chicago, IL 60601-1692

Phones

1.312.269.4356 (Business Phone)

Faxes

1.312.782.8585 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.jonesday.com