About

This blog is edited and maintained by Editor-in-Chief, Susan C. Alker.

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its attorneys provide litigation services in multi-jurisdictional matters and other high-stakes disputes, deliver regulatory counsel, and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions.  For more information, please visit reedsmith.com.

 

 

Susan C. Alker

Susan is a partner in Reed Smith's Los Angeles office and is a member of the firm's Financial Industry Group.

She is a lending lawyer with extensive experience representing major banks, financial institutions, private equity funds and hedge funds in corporate lending transactions. She frequently advises clients with syndicated credit facilities, leveraged acquisition financings, cross-border loans, asset-based loans, investment-grade credit facilities, and debtor-in-possession credit facilities. She also has significant experience in second lien transactions, mezzanine debt, securities offerings, interest rate swaps and restructurings/ workouts.

Susan often represents agent banks in syndicated loans and has worked on transactions involving companies in industries such as retail, heavy manufacturing, hotels and resorts, financial services, waste management, recreation, technology, software development, and health care.

Practice Areas

  • Corporate Finance
  • Mezzanine Finance
  • Acquisition Finance
  • Syndicated Lending
  • Restructurings/Workouts

Professional Affiliations

  • Chair, Business Law Section and Member of the Board of Governors, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
  • Member, Financial Lawyers Conference
  • Member, Association for Corporate Growth: Program Chair, Entertainment Industry Program (2008), Private Equity Program (2009)
  • Chair, Los Angeles Reed Smith Women’s Initiative 

 Education

1997

J.D., UCLA School of Law
Order of the Coif
Editor, UCLA Law Review

1993

M.B.A., California State University, Los Angeles
International Business

 Bar Admissions

  • California
  • New York

Publications

  • Author of the forthcoming book Corporate Credit: A CFO’s Guide to Bank Debt and Loan Agreements (2010)
  • Editor, the Lending Law Report
  • “FILO Loans – At the Crossroads Between Mezzanine and Senior Lending,” HedgeWorld News, Dec. 1, 2008
  • “Mezz Lending – What Is It, How Does It Work?” Law 360, April 23, 2009
  • “Acquisition Finance – ABLs Have the Opportunity to Step Up and Lead the Charge,” ABF Journal, Vol. 6, No. 5, May 2008 
  • “The Benefits and Risks of DIP Loans in Troubled Economic Times,” Aspatore Special Report: The Viability of Debtor-In-Possession Loans in the Economic Crisis, 2009
  • “Exploring Financing Options for M&A Deals,” VC Portfolio Company M&A Strategies: Leading Lawyers on Developing Negotiation Strategies, Analyzing Deal Terms, and Getting Deals Done, Thomson/Aspatore Books, 2008

Speeches / Presentations

  • Panelist, “A Candid Dialogue Between Lenders and MFI’s on New Lending Standards,” 8th Annual WWB Microfinance and the Capital Markets Conference, JPMorgan, New York, NY, March 2010
  • “Acquisition Finance: Deal Basics and Market Trends,” Los Angeles County Bar Association, Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section, 2007
  • “How to Manage a Transaction,” WLALA Business Law Section and In-House Counsel Committee, 2008
  • "The Art of Negotiation, Strategies for Getting Results", WLALA Business Law Section, 2006