Hogan Lovells Partner Duo Join Mayer Brown in DC

Frederick Cristman and James Adams, leveraged finance and private credit partners from Hogan Lovells, have moved to Mayer Brown in Washington, D.C. They joined Mayer Brown's leveraged finance and private credit group, the firm said Monday, the latest firm hires in the practice.

“Mayer Brown's capabilities on a broad level, with respect to finance, were very attractive to us. In addition to that, we think that their focus, particularly in the middle market, on financing, is hugely important, and something that we think is very synergistic with the capabilities that we've developed over the years and the clients that we typically represent,” Cristman said in an interview.

Cristman said they were also attracted to the strength in Mayor Brown's restructuring practice, "particularly with an economy that you know certainly is humming along right now, but it showed maybe some signs of some uneasiness."

Cristman advises clients on commercial financing transactions, representing private credit and bank lenders as well as corporate and private equity borrowers in deals. Adams also represents borrowers and lenders in debt-financing transactions.

The pair said they’ve fielded their share of tariff-related questions from clients this year, helping them navigate the implications of the Trump administration’s trade policies. In the spring, as tariffs were announced, several questions were centered around inventory from overseas, the two said.

Cristman pointed to concern and "a pause with respect to at least some of the activity that we were seeing for companies that had heavy tariff exposure." As time has passed, "we've seen still a very heavy focus on it, but not an entire reluctance to fund companies that do have these types of issues,” said Cristman.

Mayer Brown has made several other hires in its leveraged finance and private credit group over the past year, including partner Brian Trudgen in Chicago, who joined from Jones Day in August, and partner Sheel Patel in New York, who joined from King & Spalding in October.

“In a period of heightened lateral activity and accelerating private credit demand, our global platform, deep product bench and strong restructuring capabilities give lawyers like Fred and James the tools to help clients navigate complexity and move quickly,” Mayer Brown chair Jon Van Gorp said in a firm statement.

James Doyle, global head of Hogan Lovells' corporate & finance practice group, thanked Cristman and Adams for their contributions to the firm and wished them both well in their careers.

Reprinted with permission from the November 11th edition of National Law Journal © 2025 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.