Michael I. Zinder Partner MAIN OFFICE: New York Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, N.Y. 10019-6099, U.S.A. T 212-728-8298 F 212-728-9298

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Michael I. Zinder is a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department and Co-Chair of the Banking/Debt Finance Practice Group of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York. Mr. Zinder has extensive experience representing domestic and foreign financing parties in leveraged buy-outs, hostile and friendly tender offers, recapitalizations and spin-offs, workouts and restructurings, and debtor-in-possession financings.

Mr. Zinder also specializes in mezzanine and bridge financing, asset based financing, first lien/second lien financing, cross border financing, media and telecom financing, leisure financing, project and other structured financing, and "one stop" bank/bond financing.

Mr. Zinder has been recognized as a leading practitioner in the finance area by numerous publications, including the Legal 500, the Legal 150, and Who’s Who.

Mr. Zinder is a member of the American Bar Association and the New York Bar Association, and between 1991 and 2006 served as a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission of New York. He currently serves on the U.S. Advisory Board for the Practical Law Company (PLC), where he participates in examining and identifying emerging trends and practices relevant to finance.

Mr. Zinder is co-author of "Effects Of Roswell V. Alternative Construction" Law 360 (April 14, 2011); "Creditors Beware: Lessons from Recent Court Decisions," Practical Law, The Journal (September 2010); "The New Normal in Acquisition Finance Commitments," Law 360 (August 27, 2010); and "Fraudulent Conveyance Aspects of Leveraged Buyouts," International Financial Law Review.

Mr. Zinder has been a frequent speaker at finance industry conferences including leading or co-leading panels on Bridge Lending for the LSTA, Recent Developments in Loan Syndication for Strategic Research Institute and Cross Border Financing issues for Omega, and serves on the Primary Market Committee and the Trade Practices and Forms Committee of the LSTA.

Prior to joining Willkie, Mr. Zinder was a partner at Shearman & Sterling LLP.

Practicing in these areas for over 20 years, Mr. Zinder has led teams in successfully restructuring and documenting dozens of both large and middle-market transactions on behalf of many different Lead Arrangers and Agents, including such transactions as:

• $9.5 billion bridge financing for the acquisition of PeopleSoft by Oracle
  
  
• $1.075 billion First Lien/Second Lien exit financing to FairPoint Communications
  
  
• $2.5 billion DIP financing and emergence financing on behalf of Tranche C Lenders to Delphi Automotive
  
  
• Pre-bankruptcy workout, DIP financing and credit bid on behalf of Agent for Champion Enterprises
  
  
• $100 million bridge financing to a major investment fund
  
  
• $1.0 billion DIP financing for Quebecor World Inc.
  
  
• $1.3 billion in senior and bridge financings for the acquisition by affiliates of Apollo Investments of certain businesses from Cendant known as Affinion
  
  
• $1.5 billion recapitalization financing for Western Wireless and $1.25 billion recapitalization financing for Cracker Barrel
  
  
• $400 million DIP financing to leading mall operator GGP
  
  
• $800 million acquisition financing for the purchase of Chicago Title by Fidelity National Financial and $800 million bridge financing for Leap Wireless
  
  
• Restructuring and workout financings involving numerous companies, including Winn-Dixie, Choice One Communications, Petroleum Heat & Power, Champion Enterprises, Delphi Automotive, AAG, Bayou Steel, Shoney’s, Buffets, Chesapeake and Quality Stores
  
  
• Numerous "one stop shopping" bank/bond acquisition and recapitalization financings, including for NDC Health, EyeCare Centers, Esterline, Landry’s, Affinion, Steel Dynamics and Hollinger
  
  
• $350 million recapitalization financing for Alaska Communications Systems, $450 million recapitalization financing for Landry’s and $500 million recapitalization financing for Transworker Pipeline
  
  
• $225 million ABL financing for Navistar and $800 million ABL financing for Winn-Dixie
  
  
• First Lien/Second Lien middle market acquisition financings for John Henry, Datatel, Open Solutions, American Asphalt and Grading, Arixcel, Blue Ocean Software, Triple Crown Media, and Primedia
  
  
• Senior/Mezzanine financings for the acquisitions of Logan’s Roadhouse and Thomas Nelson
  
  
• $350 million cross border financing for Perkin Elmer and its subsidiaries
  
  
• Numerous other cross boarder acquisition and recapitalization financings, including for Ceradyne, Esterline, Mecachrome and Chesapeake
  
  
• Significant project financings for various sub-sea fiber-optic cable systems, including Globenet and Atlantic Crossing, as well as coal and other project financings

Mr. Zinder also has extensive experience in finance transactions across many industries, with particular focus on the media, telecom, healthcare, retail, leisure (including casinos), family restaurant, energy, software, technology and industrial areas.