John T. Owen

“ I love collaborating with clients to structure transactions – we solve problems together to get the best outcome for their business needs.

John represents issuers and underwriters in complex capital markets transactions, working with issuers in more than 15 countries and representing clients in transactions that have raised in excess of $50 billion in gross proceeds over the last five years.

John has extensive experience in a broad range of capital markets transactions, including equity offerings, secured and unsecured high–yield offerings, debt and equity tender offers, and consent solicitations. He has worked with a variety of companies across industries, including life sciences, technology, telecommunications, financial services, and consumer products on capital markets, liability management, restructuring and M&A transactions. He has significant experience advising on cross-border transactions, having worked on transactions involving a wide range of jurisdictions, including China, France, India, Indonesia, Israel, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

John also works frequently with the Business Restructuring and Insolvency Group where he advises clients on the securities and capital markets aspects of restructuring transactions, including exchange offers, new money financing, and the transition from creditor to equity owner.

John has completed course work at the University of Cambridge on sustainable finance and serves on the Firm’s ESG steering committee and its diversity and inclusion committee. He has regularly been recognized as an IFLR 1000 notable practitioner and by Legal 500 for his work on capital markets transactions. 

Representative Experience (Includes Prior Law Firm Experience)

Capital Raising Transactions

• Sprint Corp. in connection with its $1.0 billion guaranteed notes offering
• Vonage in its $300 million convertible note offering
• RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) in its $300 million convertible note offering
• FTI Consulting in its $316.25 million convertible note offering
• TransDigm Group in its offering of $500 million Senior Subordinated Notes by its UK subsidiary
• Lodha Developers, a leading developer of luxury real estate in India, in its $200 million secured bond offering by its UK subsidiary
• Underwriters in connection with the $231 million public offering of Common Stock by AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) and its promoters, BG Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, and GAIL (India) Limited, as international counsel in MGL’s initial public offering of 24,694,500 Equity Shares and listing on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India

Restructurings and Liability Management Transactions

• Counsel to the ad hoc group of senior secured noteholders, in the chapter 11 cases of EP Energy.
• Counsel to the ad hoc group of first lien noteholders, as noteholders and backstop DIP lenders, in the chapter 11 bankruptcy of Sanchez Energy.
• Counsel to an institutional senior secured noteholder in connection with an out-of-court exchange offer and recapitalization transaction by Associated Materials.
• Lodha Developers International in its consent solicitation relating to $200 million of 12% Guaranteed Senior Notes
• Sprint in connection with its $1.7 billion tender offers for 9.000% Guaranteed Notes and 8.375% Notes
• Frontier Communication in the concurrent fixed price tender offers to purchase any and all of its 6.625% Senior Notes and any and all of its 7.875% Senior Notes, and in a modified Dutch auction tender offer to purchase up to $225 million aggregate principal amount of its 8.250% Senior Notes.

M&A Transactions

• J.F. Lehman in its sale of National Response Corporation and Sprint Energy Services to Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. III, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC
• One Equity Partners in the proposed sale of a majority interest in Strike Capital to Sentinel Energy Services Inc., a SPAC
• New Silk Route in the proposed sale of Ascend Telecom to ROI Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC. 
• Reynolds American in connection with its acquisition by British American Tobacco.