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    Home /  Lawyers /  Neal McKnight

    Neal McKnight

    Partner

    New York +1-212-558-3316
    mcknightn@sullcrom.com
    Neal McKnight Headshot Photo

    New York

    +1-212-558-3316

    |

    mcknightn@sullcrom.com

    Email vCard

    Neal McKnight is Co-Head of the Firm’s Finance Group, Co-Head of the Firm’s Credit and Leveraged Finance Practice and a member of the Firm’s Managing Partners Committee.

    Mr. McKnight advises corporate, sponsor, financial institution and private credit clients on a broad range of debt financing transactions, including revolver and term loan facilities, bridge facilities, receivables and asset-based facilities, capital markets offerings and securitizations. He has particular expertise in acquisition financings. Mr. McKnight has also acted in a number of refinancing and recapitalization transactions in the bank and bond markets, as well as liability management transactions and financings in distressed contexts. He advises clients on preferred equity and other equity investments and purchases of equity-related instruments, including warrants, made in connection with debt financings.

    Mr. McKnight’s securities experience includes a range of debt offerings (including high yield debt and convertible note offerings), exchange offers, private placements and structured financings.

    Mr. McKnight was resident in the Firm’s London office for almost 10 years. He has extensive experience in cross-border and multi-jurisdictional financing and M&A transactions.

    He has been widely recognized for his expertise on financing matters, most recently being named a “Market Leader” by IFLR 1000.

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    Spotlight

    S&C Advises Gildan on $1.2 Billion Notes Offering

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    S&C Advises Gildan in $4.4 Billion Acquisition of HanesBrands

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    S&C Advises Fiserv on Public Offering of €2.175 Billion of Senior Unsecured Notes

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    S&C Advises United Rentals in $4.8 Billion Acquisition of H&E Equipment Services

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    • Experience
    • Rankings and Recognitions
    • News
    • Publications, Videos and Podcasts
    • Credentials
    • Related Practices
    Experience

    Experience

    Recent Selected Transactions: Corporate Financing

    • Acted for Stryker Corporation in connection with a $3 billion five-year, multicurrency revolving credit facility, $1.5 billion unsecured term loan credit agreement, $2.25 billion credit agreement and $400 million unsecured term loan credit agreement
    • Acted for DraftKings in their $500 million senior secured revolving credit facility and $600 million senior secured term loan facility
    • Acted for United Rentals in a range of financing transactions, including its Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of $1.5 billion of 6.000% senior secured notes, registered offering of $750 million of 3.750% senior unsecured notes, asset-based revolving credit facility, secured term loan facility and receivables securitization

    • Acted for Standard Building Solutions on a range of financing transactions, including their offering of $500 million of 6.500% senior notes due 2032 and on the amendment and extension of their $850 million asset-based revolving credit facility
    • Acted for W. R. Grace Holdings on a range of financing transactions, including their offering of $350 million of 7.375% senior secured notes due 2031 and their revolving and term loan facilities
    • Acted for Energizer in a range of financing transactions, including its amendment and restatement of its $760 million senior secured term loan and $500 million revolving credit facility, $300 million offering of 6.500% senior notes and €650 million of 3.500% senior notes offering
    • Acted for Fiserv in a range of financing transactions, including in their offering of $2 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes, €800 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes denominated in euro, revolver and term loan facilities, $1.75 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes and other corporate financings
    • Represented Fluidra in their $1.5 billion term loan and multi-currency revolving credit facility
    • Represented Gartner, Inc. in connection with unsecured and secured credit facilities (including revolving and term loan facilities), Rule 144A/Regulation S notes offerings and related ISDA transactions
    • Eastman Kodak Company in multiple financing transactions, including its issue and sale of  Secured Convertible Notes and Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to funds managed by Southeastern Asset Management
    • Acted for Spirit AeroSystems in a number of financing transactions, including offerings of secured and unsecured debt securities, term loan facilities and other financings

    Recent Selected Transactions: Private Credit

    • Acted for Crescent Capital in a number of debt and equity transactions, including for WhiteWater, Vivid Seats, Slickdeals, Service Logic, Pye Barker, MDVIP, Avalign, Groundworks and IVX
    • Acted for Northwestern Mutual in a number of debt and equity transactions, including for Biocoat, Bonadent, CellCarta, Collagen Matrix, EPTAM, PCI Pharma, RQM, SunMed and Unison
    • Acted for other private credit providers on financing transactions that include second lien facilities, unitranche facilities, holdco financings and preferred equity transactions

    Recent Selected Transactions: Acquisition Finance

    • Acted for United Rentals in a number of financings to fund acquisitions including its $4.8 billion pending acquisition of H&E Equipment Services, RSC Equipment Rental, Neff Corporation, Blue Line, BakerCorp and others, and for general corporate purposes, including offerings of secured and unsecured high yield notes, an asset-based revolving credit facility and a securitization facility including the $2.825 billion offering of secured and unsecured high yield notes and the expansion of its $1.8 billion asset-based revolving credit facility to finance a portion of the purchase price for its acquisition of RSC Equipment Rental
    • Acted for Standard Industries in a $2.5 billion secured term loan, the proceeds of which were distributed to Standard Industries Holdings to pay a portion of the consideration for Standard Industries Holdings’ acquisition of W. R. Grace & Co. W. R. Grace Holdings LLC entered into a new $1.25 billion secured term loan facility, and a $450 million secured revolving credit facility to pay a portion of the consideration for Standard Industries Holdings’ acquisition of W. R. Grace & Co.
    • Acted for the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Bally’s on financing matters relating to Bally’s $4.6 billion sale of outstanding common stock to Standard General
    • Acted for NMG, parent company of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, in connection with financing matters relating to its $2.7billion acquisition by HBC, parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue
    • Acted for UBS on matters relating to the integration of its lending portfolio in connection with its merger with Credit Suisse
    • Acted for American Equity Investment Life Holding Company on financing matters relating to its approximately $4.3 billion acquisition by Brookfield Reinsurance
    • Acted for Subway on financing matters relating to its $9.5 billion sale to Roark Capital
    • Acted for Credit Suisse in connection with financing matters relating to the sale of its securitized products business to Apollo Capital
    • Acted for AT&T in its $40 billion bridge loan to finance AT&T’s $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner (this is the fifth-largest bridge loan of all time according to Bloomberg)
    • Acted for Bayer in a $57.0 billion bridge loan to finance Bayer’s $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto Company (this is the largest bridge loan in 2016 and the third-largest bridge loan of all time according to Bloomberg)
    • Acted for Fiserv in the $17 billion bridge facility and subsequent bank and bond refinancing of First Data Corporation’s debt in connection with the acquisition of First Data
    • Acted for Gartner, Inc. in connection with the financing for its acquisition of CEB Inc., including the amendment and restatement of its existing $1.785 billion revolving credit facility and term loan A facility, and its new $1.375 billion term loan B facility, $300 million 364-day credit facility and $600 million high-yield notes offering
    • Acted for Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, OMERS Infrastructure Management and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board on the $1.3 billion financing for their acquisition of Chicago Skyway toll road from Cintra and Macquarie, and in a recent refinancing for their bank facility
    • Acted for Spirit AeroSystems Inc., in a $1.26 billion financing including a $206 million term loan A facility associated with its acquisition of Asco Industries, N.V.
    • Acted for Rhône Capital in its $670 million of senior secured term facilities and its $130 million asset-based revolver to acquire Zodiac Pool Solutions from Carlyle Group
    • Represented InBev in a series of debt securities offerings with aggregate proceeds of $16.75 billion to refinance a portion of the acquisition debt incurred for the purchase of Anheuser-Busch
    • Acted for private credit providers, including Crescent Capital and Northwestern Mutual, in a number of debt and equity financing transactions to fund acquisitions
    • Acted for financial sponsors in connection with the financings for bids or acquisition transactions for a number of entities, including Fluidra, Zodiac, PODs, Ranpak, Global Knowledge, Sport Chalet, CPG International, CSM Bakery Division and Seacube

    Selected Reorganization and Distressed Financing Transactions

    • Acted for financial sponsors and their portfolio companies in connection with liability management and related financing transactions
    • Acted on debt financing and liability management transactions for a range of corporate borrowers during the pandemic and in other times when facing business or economic challenges
    • Advised Garrett Motion on financing matters throughout the chapter 11 process, including Garrett’s DIP term loan facility, financing commitments under the KPS transactions and the OWJ transaction and Garrett’s exit credit facilities
    • Lead financing lawyer for Eastman Kodak for its $950 million debtor-in-possession facility, $830 million junior debtor-in-possession facilities and its exit financing facilities
    • Acted for the lead senior lender for Emmis Communications during its restructuring
    • Regularly advises lenders and investors regarding documentation and other issues relating to different distressed credits

    Other Transactions

    • Acted on a number of natural resources and infrastructure financings for, among others, affiliates of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Fund and CPPIB
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    Rankings and Recognitions

    Rankings and Recognitions

    • The Legal 500 United States
    • IFLR1000 Market Leader
    • The Best Lawyers of America – Banking & Finance Law
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    News

    News

    • S&C Advises Gildan on $1.2 Billion Notes Offering

      October 16, 2025
    • S&C Advises Gildan in $4.4 Billion Acquisition of HanesBrands

      August 14, 2025
    • S&C Advises Fiserv on Public Offering of €2.175 Billion of Senior Unsecured Notes

      May 28, 2025
    • S&C Advises Masimo Corporation on Sale of Consumer Audio Business to HARMAN International

      May 8, 2025
    • S&C Advises Bally’s Special Committee in $4.6 Billion Acquisition by Standard General and Concurrent Combination with The Queen Casino & Entertainment

      February 13, 2025
    • S&C Advises United Rentals in $4.8 Billion Acquisition of H&E Equipment Services

      January 14, 2025
    Read More
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    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    • Finance and Restructuring

      Webinars April 15, 2020
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    Credentials

    Credentials

    Education

    • University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1996
    • Princeton University, M.P.A., 1996
    • University of North Carolina, B.A., 1990

    Bar Admissions

    • New York
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    Related Practices

    Related Practices

    • General Practice
    • Africa
    • Capital Markets
    • Consumer & Retail
    • Credit & Leveraged Finance
    • Infrastructure
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Private Equity
    • Project Development & Finance
    • Restructuring and Special Situations
    • Technology
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