Jennifer Hobbs is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Department and a member of the Executive Committee.
Ranked in Band 1 and cited as a “luminary” by
Chambers USA, and named a 2020 “Banking MVP” by
Law360, Jennifer focuses on acquisition finance and advises on a broad range of financings for many of the Firm’s leading private equity and corporate clients. Her primary clients have included Silver Lake Partners, EQT Partners and the private equity group at Goldman Sachs, together with their portfolio companies. Over the years, she has also represented private equity clients Apax Partners, BC Partners and Hellman & Friedman, and corporate clients Mars, Incorporated, Dell, Inc., Symantec Corporation, Cigna, AMC Entertainment, Accenture, Aramark Corporation and Broadcom Limited. Jen has served as the Firm’s Co-Administrative Partner.
Jennifer has led some of the largest acquisition financings in history, including representing Silver Lake Partners and Michael Dell in the financing of their $27 billion take private of Dell, Inc. and later Dell itself in the debt financing for its $67 billion acquisition of EMC Corporation. She also represented Mars in the debt financing of its historic $22 billion acquisition of the Wm. Wrigley Company. Jennifer also advised Broadcom Limited in connection with its $100 billion of committed debt financing for its proposed, but not completed, acquisition of Qualcomm.
Jennifer’s recent acquisition finance experience includes the following representations:
- Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division in connection with its acquisition of Aptos, Inc., from private equity owner Apax Partners.
- Silver Lake Partners in connection with its acquisition of TEG, Asia Pacific’s leading live entertainment and ticketing company.
- Silver Lake Partners in connection with its acquisition of First Advantage from Symphony Technology Group.
- EQT Partners and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in connection with financing related to their acquisition of a majority equity stake in Waystar, in a transaction that valued Waystar at $2.7 billion.
- Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division in connection with its acquisition of Capital Visions Services L.P. (MyEyeDr).
- EQT Partners in connection with its acquisition of Cast & Crew Entertainment Services from Silver Lake Partners.
Some of Jennifer’s other historic representations have included advising:
- AMC Entertainment in connection with the refinancing of its $2.225 billion corporate credit facilities and subsequent covenant relief amendments.
- Aramark Corporation in connection with the debt financing for its $1.0 billion acquisition of AmeriPride Services, Inc. and its $1.35 billion acquisition of Avendra, LLC, as well as multiple refinancings.
- Mars, Inc. in connection with the debt financing for their $9.1 billion acquisition of VCA Inc., and multiple debt financings.
- EQT Partners in connection with the debt financing for their $2.35 billion acquisition of Press Ganey, Inc., EQT’s first direct investment in North America.
- WME Entertainment and co-investors Silver Lake and KKR in connection with the debt financing for their acquisition of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
- Symantec Corporation in connection with the debt financing for its $4.65 billion acquisition of Blue Coat Inc., and its $2.3 billion acquisition of LifeLock, Inc.
- BC Partners-led consortium in connection with the debt financing for its $8.7 billion acquisition of PetSmart, Inc., and PetSmart in connection with its subsequent acquisition of Chewy, Inc.
- Goldman Sachs-led consortium in connection with the debt financing for the $22 billion acquisition of Kinder Morgan and subsequently Kinder Morgan in connection with the debt financing for its $38 billion acquisition of El Paso Corporation.
- Silver Lake Partners in connection with financings for their acquisitions of Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. WME Entertainment/IMG Worldwide, Ancestry.com, Smart Modular Technologies, Multiplan Holdings Inc., Interactive Data Corporation, IPC Systems, Inc., Skype, Avago Technologies and SunGard Data Systems, Inc., and a number of Silver Lake portfolio companies including AMC Entertainment, Red Ventures, Virtu Financial LLC, Mercury Payment Systems, Inc., and Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc., on significant debt financings.
- Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division in connection with the financings of their acquisitions of Boyd Corporation, Flint Group GmbH, Safe-Guard, Drayer Physical Therapy, TransUnion Corp., Associated Asphalt Partners, Alliance Atlantis Communications, USI Holdings Corporation and McJunkin Corporation.
- Ford Motor Company in connection with more than $18 billion in secured bank financing.
Jennifer’s accolades include:
- Chambers USA (2015-2020; Band 1)
- The Legal 500 United States (2020)
- Crain's “Notable Women in Law” (2021)
- Corporate Counsel’s Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards, “Women’s Legal Awards” winner (2020)
- Law360 “Banking MVP” (2020)
- Lawdragon Magazine, 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2014-2018)
- Euromoney’s Americas Women in Business Law Awards, “Best in Banking and Finance” (2014, 2017)
- The American Lawyer, Top “45 Under 45” Women Lawyers (2011)
Jennifer received her J.D. from New York University in 1997, where she was a member of the
NYU Law Review. She received her Masters of International Affairs from Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs in 1992 and her B.A., with high honors, from the University of Texas in 1989, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.