Charles A. Watkins II

Charles advises public and private companies, banks and nonbank lenders in complex financing transactions, including acquisition financings, secured and unsecured credit facilities, structured financings and bespoke private-client lending arrangements. He regularly represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies in structuring and negotiating acquisition and leveraged finance transactions.

In addition to sponsor-backed and corporate financings, his practice spans the full spectrum of debt financing and capital markets transactions, including acquisition financings, private credit transactions, secured and unsecured credit facilities, and high-yield and investment-grade bond offerings.

Charles’ representative matters include:

Lender-side engagements

• Blue Owl Capital in its up to:
  • $262.5 million in term loans to ITM Isotope Technologies
  • $500 million in term loans to Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

Borrower-side engagements

• Geron Corporation in its up to $375 million in synthetic royalty and debt financings with Royalty Pharma and Pharmakon Advisors
• Nuvation Bio in its up to $250 million in term loan and royalty financings with Sagard Healthcare Partners
• BioMarin Pharmaceutical in its $600 million unsecured revolving credit facility
• HawkEye 360 in its acquisition of Innovative Signal Analysis involving $150 million in debt and equity financing
• Cerberus Capital Management in its strategic investment of up to $315.5 million in Eos Energy
• Advising BioXcel Therapeutics in its $260 million strategic financing with Oaktree Capital Management and Qatar Investment Authority – with up to $135 million in a delayed draw term loan, up to $120 million in capped revenue interest on net sales and up to $5 million in purchase of common stock
• Advising Opthea in its $170 million financing and $90 million private placement and share purchase plan
• Advising Battery Ventures in its majority growth investment in QSR Automations