It is with tremendous gratitude, humility and excitement that I share this note with you as the new Co-Managing Partner of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP.
The past few months were already a time of great reflection. For me, 2025 marked 10 years since I joined Cadwalader as the youngest partner in our firm’s 233-year history.
That in and of itself sounds a little daunting as I write this but, truthfully, at the time I couldn’t have been more thrilled to begin a new adventure in helping build a best-in-class Fund Finance practice by collaborating with the hardest-working, caring and intelligent group of colleagues on the planet. And, working closely together, we delivered on that vision. Today we have a trans-Atlantic group that is the largest, deepest, most experienced legal team in the market. Since 2018, we have advised more than 120 lenders on more than $1.4 trillion in fund finance commitments across more than 600 sponsors. And, we did it with some of the best people around. It’s a people business, and people are and will always be our greatest asset.
All of this is only possible because of you, and the trust that our clients have continued to put in Cadwalader to handle their most important and complex matters. We have established market precedent, helped grow businesses and earned a lot of friends along the way. It’s been fun, and the ride will only get more exciting. We clearly recognize the demand for this work will only continue to rise, as the incentive to solve for additional liquidity on the LP side, more capital on the borrower side, and loan growth and risk distribution on the lender side has never been higher in the history of fund finance. There are now many firms competing for this uptick in work. We know you have options. We feel good about your options. We want to grow and invest in you. Your choosing Cadwalader is something we hold as very special; our engagements with you are the most important matters we handle as advisors. We relish in the opportunity and celebrate the outcomes. Thank you for the opportunity.
We have grown our team by 16 strong since June. We have more expansion plans along the way. We cover every vertical within fund finance and position our top experts to serve you. We grow with you, and for you. That will never change.
I am thrilled to share that Brian Foster, Tim Hicks and Doug Murning will serve as the Co-Heads of our Fund Finance practice. With Brian in New York, Tim in Charlotte and Doug in London, we believe having a Co-Head “on the ground” in each of our three major offices of the Fund Finance practice will benefit our clients and our expansive team. Brian, Tim and Doug are among our profession’s longest-tenured, most highly regarded practitioners, deeply committed to ensuring we provide you with the best possible service. They represent what we like to call “one team with one dream” – to continue enhancing our hard-earned reputation as the pre-eminent Fund Finance practice worldwide.
While I am now transitioning into this new role with Pat Quinn, my doing so does not come at the expense of our Fund Finance offering or my active participation in it. I will maintain one of the most active practices in the industry and, as Co-Managing Partner, I believe I will be in an ever greater position to support your business and enhance our relationship. Full stop, we are here to serve you. This is a client service standard Pat has embodied for the last 10 years, and he and I greatly look forward to continuing to ensure Cadwalader is the top firm clients want to hire and the community that talented lawyers want to join. I am excited about what the next 233 years look like. And while I won’t be here for all of it, our values and commitment to service will instruct the next generation and beyond.
I am here for you. And I can’t wait to continue to accomplish great things together with you.
Thank you.
Wes