Nick Caro and Adam Shpeen named to Bloomberg Law’s “40 Under 40” list
Davis Polk partners Nick Caro and Adam Shpeen have been named to Bloomberg Law’s “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” list. The annual list recognizes the accomplishments of exceptional young lawyers nationwide.
Nick, a partner in Davis Polk’s Sponsor Finance practice, was recognized for his deep experience and leadership on complex and high-stakes financings. Bloomberg Law highlighted his work advising Sycamore Partners on its up to $23.7 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance, which involved more than $18 billion in debt and hybrid capital financing. The transaction was the largest retail leveraged buyout in history, the third-largest healthcare leveraged buyout ever announced in the U.S., and the largest retail deal since 2007.
Discussing how he defines success in his practice, Nick said, “[It’s] the relationships I forge along the way. I work hard to get to know my clients and learn how they like to operate: the terms they care about and whether they want to be looped into every thorny issue or if they want us to work through problems independently and present them with solutions. You need to know what’s important to your clients and adapt your style to each of them individually. But in this industry, on deals that can span weeks, or even years, I always want to get to know my clients personally as well. I think you earn a client’s trust by proving yourself on a transaction, but I think you supercharge it when they know who you are as a person. And having those relationships where I’m not just advising a client on a particular provision but am looked to as trusted counsel for issues outside of my day-to-day practice—that’s how I define success.”
Adam, a partner in Davis Polk’s Restructuring practice, was honored for his work representing debtors, creditors, banks, hedge funds and other strategic parties in some of the most high-profile and complex chapter 11 and out-of-court restructurings of the past decade, including his work advising Big Lots on its sale of substantially all of its assets to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, an ad hoc group of lenders in Mitel’s chapter 11 proceedings and a group of creditors in connection with Lumen Technologies’ comprehensive debt restructuring.
When asked what he is most proud of as a lawyer, Adam said, “Hands down, I am most proud of the pro bono work I’ve performed. Pro bono has been a common thread throughout my practice. As a young attorney, I helped low-income individuals prepare and file Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions through the New York City Bankruptcy Assistance Project. For my work, I was awarded the NYC-BAP Champion Award. Beginning as a young attorney, I advised not-for-profit organizations on a range of corporate matters. For example, I advised a small film festival based in New Jersey on corporate governance matters and community-based organizations in New York on compliance with internal corporate policies.”