"They consistently bring strong talent to any situation, operate in a seamless manner, and remain calm even under stressful circumstances."
Chambers USA client quote
Overview
Calfee’s Commercial Finance Lawyers: Strategic Counsel for Commercial Lending
Calfee’s Commercial Lending practice represents clients in all aspects of domestic and international transactions, financings, and debt structures.
The firm’s commercial finance lawyers counsel financial institutions and borrowers in analyzing, structuring, documenting, and negotiating all aspects of finance in private, public, syndicated, international, and governmental settings.
We also assist companies in developing and structuring the commercial aspects of domestic and international business relationships including development projects, sales, distribution arrangements, and multinational ventures. We are among those select firms having established an independent practice dedicated solely to commercial business and finance – a practice now setting high standards of excellence for other commercial lending practices.
Commercial lending transactions often involve tight timelines, complex collateral packages, multiple stakeholders, and significant business risk. Our approach is practical and business-minded, and we help clients move efficiently while protecting their legal, financial, and operational interests.
Services Our Commercial Finance Attorneys Provide:
At Calfee, our Commercial Lending practice supports clients across the full lifecycle of a financing transaction:
Financing
Representing and assisting clients in a variety of financing arrangements.
- Revolving, term, and asset-based
- Multicurrency and international financings
- ESOP financings
- Multilender syndications and participations
- Debt offerings and note purchase arrangements
Commercial Finance
Our team handles complex commercial financing structures and transactions.
- Asset-backed structured finance and securitizations
- SBIC equity and debt placements
- Mezzanine financings
- Derivatives transactions
- Interest rate protection
- Letters of credit and guarantees
Domestic and International Business Transactions
Providing counsel on business transactions both within the U.S. and internationally.
- Sales, distribution, and agency arrangements
- Commercial aspects of joint ventures
- Multinational business ventures
- Computer development and servicing arrangements
- Electronic data interchange matters
Workouts and Restructurings
We guide clients through debt restructuring, workouts, and insolvency-related financing.
- Secured party sales
- Troubled debt purchases
- Facility restructurings
- Standstill and forbearance agreements
- Debtor-in-possession financings
- Intercreditor and subordination arrangements
Specialized Banking Services
Our commercial finance attorneys provide focused counsel on unique banking, regulatory, and compliance matters.
- Lender liability audits
- Special opinion counsel
- Regulatory compliance
- FIRREA-related issues
- Thrift and bank holding company matters
Specialized Business Transactions
We facilitate a range of specialized transactions to meet our clients' specific business goals.
- Equipment leasing
- Sale-leaseback transactions
- Project financings
- Asset acquisitions
- Bankruptcy acquisitions
Noteworthy
Chambers USA Leading Law Firm Rankings
Since 2004, Calfee has been recognized as a Leading Law Firm for Banking & Finance by Chambers USA, most recently in Band 2 in Ohio (2026).
Clients provided feedback to Chambers USA researchers, "The Calfee team is extremely well-versed in complicated financings and has an extensive view across the market. Calfee has a strong bench of banking and finance attorneys; they are extremely responsive and meet tight deadlines. The team uses extensive resources across the firm to help in many complex areas."
The Legal 500 Rankings
The Legal 500 US City Elite 2026 Guide has recognized Calfee as a Leading Law Firm in Ohio in Corporate and M&A.
Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” Rankings
Calfee was selected for inclusion in the 2026 "Best Law Firms" rankings in the following areas:
- Banking and Finance Law (National Tier 2, Regional Tier 1 Cleveland)
- Commercial Finance Law (Regional Tier 1 Cleveland)
- Tax Law (Regional Tier 1 Cleveland)
IFLR1000 (United States), Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms and Lawyers
Calfee was selected for inclusion in IFLR1000 – Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms in 2025 as a Tier 1 Law Firm in Ohio for Banking. A client provided feedback to IFLR1000 researchers, "Everything they did seemed a level above all my prior dealings with other law firms."
Professionals
Professionals
Experience
Experience
- Served as Borrower's counsel to a publicly traded, Fortune 1000 company in a transaction involving a $500 million secured term loan facility provided by banks and other institutional lenders.
- Acted for the client, a publicly traded Fortune 1000 industrial supply company, in the refinancing/replacement of its receivables securitization facility; negotiated transaction documentation, navigated intercreditor issues, and managed the closing process, including the complex legal opinions that supported this $150 million transaction.
- Served as lead counsel to private equity-backed portfolio company in a $17 million refinancing, including a delayed draw term loan commitment to be used for future acquisitions and/or dividends.
- Served as lead counsel to private equity client in connection with a new $97 million platform financing provided by private capital lenders, the proceeds of which were used to finance concurrent acquisitions.
- Served as lead counsel to Borrower, a publicly traded Fortune 500 company, in connection with a $2 billion syndicated multicurrency revolving credit facility and a $800+ million delayed draw bilateral term loan facility.
- Served as lead counsel to Borrower, a private equity-backed portfolio company, in connection with a new $95 million senior secured credit facility consisting of a term loan and revolver; the proceeds of the credit facilities were used to fund the acquisition of a new portfolio company platform.
- Served as lead counsel to the Administrative Agent and Lender, a private equity firm client, in a $31 million term loan financing, which provided the borrower with capital to complete a critical refinancing and add cash to the balance sheet to support the continued operation of the business.
- Represented a private equity-backed borrower in the financing of a $96+ million transformative acquisition.
- Represented a wholesale distributor in the debt-to-equity restructuring of its $80 million term loan and extension of various credit facilities.
- Represented a private equity firm in the financing of its acquisition of a target company; the $75 million transaction involved an independent sponsor that the Sponsor was supporting in the transaction as the majority investor.
- Represented a private equity firm in the $71 million financing of its acquisition of a manufacturing company.
- Represented a publicly traded, Fortune 500 bank client in its capacity as lender in a $70 million revolving line of credit to a real estate private equity fund.
- Served as counsel to a private equity firm client in its capacity as administrative agent and lender in a $25 million NAV loan to a family office that was secured by the borrower's minority equity interest in investments in various companies.
- Acted for the borrower, a multinational manufacturing holding company with $5+ billion in annual revenue, in refinancing and upsizing its syndicated multi-currency revolving credit and term loan facilities and the implementation of an interest rate hedge for the term loan facility.
- Acted for the company in the refinancing/replacement of its syndicated receivables securitization facility. We negotiated transaction documentation, navigated inter-creditor issues, and managed the closing process, including the complex legal opinions that support these transactions.
- Acting for the client in ongoing negotiations for certain amendments to and compliance issues arising under its $1+ billion energy concession. The representation entails ongoing compliance, documentation, and restructuring issues in connection with the client’s complex energy concession.
- Represented the client in designing, structuring, documenting, and implementing a procurement program for the deployment of certain funds reserved for the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging station infrastructure, including advising on all procurement-related and project finance issues. This matter involved the development of a structure and documentation package for the development of EV charging infrastructure and related procurement activities and closing on more than 30 EV project sites.
- Represented a medical products manufacturing client, serving as ABL credit facility borrowers’ counsel, in negotiating loan documents on behalf of the Company and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries and new international holding company and part of the company's exit financing from bankruptcy. The specific matter involved a $40 million asset-based revolving credit facility.
- Represented the issuer under a note purchase agreement and negotiated transaction documents on behalf of the issuer. The specific matter involved the private placement of notes; proceeds were used for a European acquisition.
- Represented the purchaser in a note purchase transaction and side-by-side equity issuance; specifically, Calfee drafted and negotiated the note and security purchase agreement and related transaction documents. Proceeds of the note and equity issuances were used to pay a portion of the acquisition costs for a private equity portfolio company acquisition.
- Represented a sub-debt note purchaser in the drafting and negotiation of a note purchase agreement and related documents and deliverables for a note issuance and equity issuance, the proceeds of which were used to pay a portion of the acquisition costs for a private equity portfolio company acquisition.
- Advising a private equity-backed borrower and loan parties in the financing of its $100 million credit facility.
- Represented a private equity-backed borrower and loan parties with the refinancing of its $52 million committed credit facility and $50 million accordion facility.
- Represented a U.S. bank client with $150+ billion in assets as a lender in a revolving credit facility to a company backed by a private equity firm with nearly $4 billion in committed capital.
- Represented a European private equity-owned borrower and loan parties in the negotiation of the forbearance of its split lien structure credit facilities (asset-based revolving facility and term loan facility) and the negotiation of the refinancing of both facilities.
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