Michael J. Schwartz

Mr. Schwartz has worked on numerous corporate high-yield and investment-grade debt offerings, municipal bond offerings, project financings, private capital transactions, initial public offerings, spin-offs and other public and private equity and equity-hybrid securities offerings, as well as liability management transactions. He also regularly counsels corporate clients, including on the review and preparation of SEC filings, corporate governance matters and interactions with security holders, stock exchanges and regulatory bodies.

Notable representations have included:

• Brightline Trains Florida in connection with numerous public activity bond, high-yield debt and equity transactions, including:
  • a $5.1 billion recapitalization of its Florida operating subsidiary’s debt, including pursuant to the issuance of $3.2 billion of private activity bonds in a transaction that The Bond Buyer named its Innovative Financing of 2024 and national Deal of the Year 2024, its top prize. The Bond Buyer praised the transaction as “a transformative moment in U.S. infrastructure financing” as “the largest private-activity bond issuance and first investment-grade debt for American high-speed rail,” noting that “this financing restructured $4.5 billion of debt across three liens, achieving a new standard for multi-modal transit funding”
  • Brightline West in a $2.5 billion public activity bond offering
• New Fortress Energy in numerous high yield debt and equity transactions, including:
  • in connection with a $2.6 billion liability management transaction, which included the issuance of $1.2 billion of structurally enhanced senior secured notes and the exchange of $1.4 billion of existing notes for the structurally enhanced senior secured notes
  • a $400 million public offering of its Class A common stock
  • several senior secured note transactions
• FTAI Aviation Ltd. in connection with several high-yield debt and preferred stock transactions, including:
  • a $500 million senior notes transaction
  • a $800 million senior notes transaction
  • an offering of 9.500% fixed-rate reset Series D cumulative perpetual redeemable preferred shares
• FTAI Infrastructure Inc. in connection with several financings, including:
  • a $100 million reopening of its 10.500% senior secured notes due 2027
  • multiple private activity bond offerings to finance the development, construction and acquisition of transport, loading, unloading and storage facilities at the Port of Beaumont, Texas, and the Repauno Port and Terminal in New Jersey
  • the inaugural issuance of $600 million senior secured notes due 2032 by Long Ridge Energy, a subsidiary of FTAI Infrastructure Inc.
• Rithm Capital Corp. (a REIT) in numerous corporate matters, including:
  • the acquisition of Sculptor Capital Management, Inc.
  • several senior notes offerings
  • a $600 million capital raise through a private senior secured loan agreement and the issuance of warrants
  • several common and preferred stock offerings
  • its acquisition of Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd.
• OneMain Holdings, Inc. in numerous corporate matters, including:
  • its approximately $400 million initial public offering
  • several senior notes offerings
  • the underwriters in a $7.75 billion notes offering by Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
• Morgan Stanley in a $100 million public equity offering by SFL Corporation Ltd.
• Perella Weinberg Partners in a variety of matters, including:
  • its business combination with FinTech Acquisition Corp. IV
  • multiple registered offerings of its Class A common stock
• Aircastle Ltd in its $241 million initial public offering
• Fortress Investment Group in numerous corporate matters, including:
  • its $3.3 billion acquisition by SoftBank Group Corp.
  • its initial public offering (the first public listing of an alternative asset investment manager in the United States), which was honored as one of the Equity Deals of the Year by the International Financial Law Review
  • the private sale to Nomura Holdings, Inc. of a 15% interest for $888 million
• Ares Management LLC and Fortress Investment Group LLC in an investment in Chimera Investment Corporation through a $400 million senior secured term loan and issuance of warrants
• Realogy Corporation in numerous corporate matters, including:
  • its initial public offering — which was named among the top matters in the Finance category in the Financial Times’ U.S. Innovative Lawyers report
  • several secondary offerings of its common stock by funds managed by Apollo Global Management
  • several secured and unsecured high-yield notes offerings
  • an approximately $2.7 billion exchange transaction pursuant to which holders of Realogy’s unsecured notes exchanged such notes for either convertible notes or new longer-dated notes
• Brookdale Senior Living in its initial public offering and subsequent follow-on offerings
• Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. in several senior secured high-yield notes offerings