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Richard W. Grice

Partner


Richard W. Grice recently finished an eight-year term as leader of the Global Finance & Debt Products Group and now serves on the firm’s Financial Advisory Committee. He emphasizes representation of domestic and foreign commercial banks, underwriters and debt issuers in a variety of financings including leveraged buyouts and other acquisition financings, public debt issues, private placements, cross-border financings, recapitalizations and various asset-based financings. He also represents creditors and debtors in pre-bankruptcy restructurings and Chapter 11 proceedings.

Mr. Grice has been recognized by his peers as one of the foremost lawyers in his area of expertise including: a #1 ranking in the Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, a listing in Super Lawyers magazine for the last five years and he has been voted one of The Best Lawyers in America for the last ten years.

Representative Experience

  • Represented administrative agent and letter of credit bank in connection with $319 million refinancing and conversion of certain tax-exempt auction rate securities into tax-exempt variable rate demand securities issued by a municipal financing authority and supported by a receivables securitization program sponsored by an operator of 37 hospitals in ten states.
  • Represented Graphic Packaging Corporation, an Atlanta-based public company, in connection with its $1.3 billion of debt financing for the acquisition of Altivity, LLC, a portfolio company of Texas Pacific Group.
  • Represented the nation's third largest video rental company in its $1.195 billion debt financing for its successful all-cash acquisition of the nation's second largest rental company. In this much-publicized transaction, our client outdueled a rival competitor for the property and was able to finance the acquisition with an $870 million senior bank credit facility and a $325 million high-yield bond issue.
  • Represented Southeastern "bundled" telecommunications provider in its successful "pre-packaged" bankruptcy proceeding relating to $444.1 million in high-yield bonds and approximately $55 million in senior secured bank debt; the prepack resulted in a debt reduction of approximately $250 million for approximately a 19.3% equity interest in the company.
  • Represented project sponsor in connection with the U.S. $200 million project financing of certain mining operations in the Amazon Basin, Brazil; coordinated complex debt and equity participations from U.S., French, German, Japanese and Brazilian investors, including significant Brazilian pre-export secured financings from Credit Lyonnais (New York and Paris offices), Bayerische Hypo-und Vereinsbank AG (Munich office) and Sumitomo Corporation (New York and Tokyo offices).
  • Represented Credit Suisse First Boston as lead underwriter in connection with $314 million high-yield debt offering issued by Caraustar Industries, Inc.
  • Represented major Atlanta-based telecommunications company in connection with numerous bank financings of certain of its Latin American properties.
  • Represented equipment lessor/vendor in connection with a multi-tranche $150 million leasing facility of computer hardware to a technology concern.
  • Represented lead underwriter in high-yield debt offering by a nationally-recognized home mortgage originator and service provider.


Publications
October 2007
"Influenza in the Debt Capital Markets," Atlanta Business Magazine, October 2007.
September 2007
"Green Currency: Financing and Perfection of Kyoto Emission Reductions," International Financial Law Review, September 2007.
April 2003
"CFO's: Beware the Dreaded Make-Whole,” Financial Executives International Magazine, 2003.

Richard W. Grice

One Atlantic Center
1201 West Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309-3424
Phone: 404-881-7576
Fax: 404-253-8269

Education

  • Cornell University
    (J.D., 1984)
  • University of Wisconsin
    (B.S., 1981)

Admitted to Practice

  • Georgia
  • New York