Cadwalader U.S. fund finance head Wes Misson was named a “Most Effective Deal-Maker” at last month’s 2023 ALM Southeastern Legal Awards in Atlanta. 

In its selection, ALM referenced Wes as being “the most prominent lender-side fund finance lawyer in the industry,” noting that “over the past 15 years of successfully delivering on innovative and precedent-setting client work, [he] has helped shape this important realm of the private lending markets.” In a published profile following Wes’s selection, ALM wrote: “Wes has served as lead counsel on thousands of transactions, including many of the largest and most sophisticated fund financings ever consummated. Over the past two years alone, he has advised more than 40 banks as lead or syndicate lender in transactions valued in excess of $200 billion in terms of lender commitments and, in 2022 alone, Wes closed 15 transactions with lender commitments totaling at least $3 billion each.”

Wes credited his mentor, Mike Mascia, for shaping him and provided some great advice on client relationships. He said: “It really is a relationship business. You have to make sure your client knows their counterparty and is comfortable moving forward despite the issues. If something goes wrong, how are they going to react? Will they be cooperative and reasonable? If the answer to those questions are not satisfactory after considering all the factors with the relationship, then it may be a situation where you ask the client if they are better off passing. It’s rare, but sometimes no deal is better than regretting doing a bad deal later. Also, it should go without saying, but if there are any ethical concerns, then it is always better to walk. You need to feel good about the relationship. Client selection is the best protection against a bad deal.”

You can read Wes’s full profile here. 

In addition, Cadwalader real estate finance partner Chris Dickson and special counsel Molly Lovedale were named “On the Rise” honorees. Chris was recognized for his work “as lead counsel to the lenders in transactions valued in the billions or hundreds of millions on a wide range of hospitality and other commercial real estate properties across the U.S.” Molly’s profile noted her participation as a senior team member “in representing the lenders on multiple significant transactions – totaling $7.3 billion – across a range of high-value real estate asset classes.” You can read about Chris and Molly here.