Paula-Marie (Polly) O'Brien focuses her practice on specialty finance, including structured products, trading of distressed debt, loan portfolio acquisitions, forward flow transactions and direct lending. She has significant experience acting for borrowers, sponsors, and multi-strategy funds on domestic and international cross-border financings, acquisitions and restructurings. Polly also has expertise in private equity financings and M&A projects, including in a broad range of bespoke opportunistic financing transactions spanning the spectrum of debt and equity.  

Publications

“LIBOR Transition Update: New York State Legislature Passes LIBOR Transition Bill,” SRZ Alert, March 26, 2021

“FCA Announces Dates LIBOR Settings Will Cease to Be Provided or Be Representative; ISDA Declares Index Cessation Event and Fixing of Spread Adjustment,” SRZ Alert, 8 March, 2021

“Private Funds — Market Trends Report,” SRZ Publication, October 2020

Speaking Engagements

“The Fund Finance Toolbox: Liquidity, Creativity and Preserving Value,” AIMA Next Generation Manager Forum, March 2021

“Litigation Finance in International Markets,” IMN Litigation Finance Virtual Series, February 2021

“Litigation Funding: Market Roundtable,” SRZ Webinar, February 2021

“Finance Strategies and Structures,” SRZ 30th Annual Private Investment Funds Seminar, January 2021

“To What Extent Is ESG Leading Investment Decisions in Private Debt?” Private Equity International Women in Private Markets Summit, November 2020

“Fund Finance and Structured Finance,” SRZ Webinar, October 2020

Prior Experience

  • Jones Day
  • Louis Dreyfus Commodities
  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
  • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer