M. Shams Billah

• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $175 million senior secured term loan facility to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of a frozen food distributer and negotiation of an intercreditor agreement opposite a pari passu ABL commercial bank lender.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $150 million senior secured credit facility through a club deal to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of a cloud backup software company for small and mid-size enterprises.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $150 million senior secured credit facility for a founder-owned leading home care and medical staffing company.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $75 million senior secured credit facility to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of a national tow trucking business and negotiation of a subordination agreement opposite an insurance company as a subordinated noteholder.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $50 million senior secured credit facility for a medical equipment company.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $50 million senior secured credit facility to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of the maker of diabetic and orthopedic shoes.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $25 million senior secured credit facility using an SBIC fund to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of a tech servicer and medical billing company for in-home patient care servicers.
• Represented a private credit fund in connection with an approximately $25 million senior secured credit facility using an SBIC fund to finance the acquisition by a sponsor of a franchised business model for entertainment centers.
• Represented underwriters in connection with $800 million of senior unsecured notes and represented a related syndicate of bank lenders in connection with a $1.175 billion senior secured revolving credit and term loan facility, in each case, for a publicly traded media company.
• Represented underwriters in connection with $400 million of senior unsecured notes and represented a related syndicate of bank lenders in connection with a $1.06 billion senior secured revolving credit and term loan facility, in each case, for a publicly traded radio broadcasting company.
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with an approximately $250 million senior secured credit facility in a club deal with Carlyle, Churchill and the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland to finance the acquisition of a leading e-commerce retailer and distributor of automotive aftermarket parts and accessories.
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with an approximately $85 million senior secured credit facility from Barings to finance the acquisition of a transportation management provider of end-to-end delivery services for bulk and heavy goods.
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with an approximately $150 million senior secured credit facility from GSO/Blackstone and Ally Bank for the acquisition financing of a parcel delivery company that provides “last-mile” and same-day delivery services (and the related exit).
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with an approximately $220 million senior secured credit facility from GSO/Blackstone and Ally Bank and $30 million of PIK holdco notes from Nuveen, in each case, for the acquisition financing of a vehicle intelligence company (and the related exit).
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with an approximately $200 million senior secured credit facility from Ares for the acquisition financing of dozens of roll-ups of auto shops and garages (and the related exit).
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with the acquisition financing of a logistics firm for the trucking industry opposite Prospect Capital (and the related exit).
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with the acquisition financing of a railway products and services business opposite Ares, CPPIB and Antares (and the related exit).
• Represented a private equity sponsor as a JV lender for an aviation sale-leaseback transaction.
• Represented a private equity sponsor as a minority lender in a club deal to a failed de-SPAC in the telecommunications space.
• Represented a private equity sponsor in connection with a capital call line bridge facility with Silicon Valley Bank.
• Represented an independent fundless sponsor in connection with a credit bid to acquire a distressed gym retail company.
• Represented a bankrupt company in connection with its senior secured debtor-in-possession revolving credit facility led by Bank of Montreal and Regions Bank (and related exit financing) and separate senior secured debtor-in-possession term loan facility led by TCW and Cerberus (and related exit financing).
• Represented a bankrupt company in connection with its $15.5 million senior secured debtor-in-possession term loan facility led by Cerberus.
• Represented a bankrupt company in connection with its $15 million senior secured debtor-in-possession revolving credit facility led by BNP Paribas.
• Represented a non-US commercial bank in connection with its $125 million senior secured exit financing and $80 million senior secured debtor-in-possession financing of a marine transportation service company.
• Represented a club of US commercial banks in connection with a sharia-compliant $500 million senior secured murabaha revolving warehouse facility for the investment banking and aviation finance arm of a financial institution in Saudi Arabia.
• Represented a sovereign wealth fund in connection with the sharia-compliant acquisition financing of an equipment finance lender to small businesses.
• Represented a sovereign wealth fund in connection with the sharia-compliant acquisition financing of a general construction rental company.
• Represented a sovereign wealth fund in connection with the sharia-compliant acquisition financing of a hospitality specialty lender.
• Represented a sovereign wealth fund in connection with the sharia-compliant acquisition financing of a specialty finance company that provides senior debt to life sciences and healthcare companies.
• Represented a construction mortgage lender in connection with various warehouse facilities, master repurchase agreements, mortgage loan purchase agreements and master credit facilities.
• Represented a publicly traded pharmaceutical company in connection with a $340 million senior secured term loan B and revolving credit facility led by Truist Bank to finance the acquisition of another pharmaceutical company.
• Represented a pre-IPO global tech company in connection with a $2.0 billion senior secured term loan B facility led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
• Represented a non-US company in connection with two separate loans from Citibank and HSBC to finance the acquisition of a US fintech software engineering and development company.
• Represented a startup medical equipment company in connection with a $12 million term loan credit facility with SWK Funding LLC.
• Represented a syndicate of bank lenders in connection with five senior unsecured syndicated credit facilities for an energy utility company, which included a $4.0 billion revolving loan and letter of credit facility, a $1.0 billion revolving loan and letter of credit facility and three term loan facilities for $1.2 billion, $125 million and $125 million, respectively.
• Represented a commercial bank in connection with a $350 million senior unsecured syndicated revolving credit and letter of credit facility for an electric utility company.
• Represented a commercial bank in connection with three senior unsecured syndicated credit facilities for an energy utility company, which included a $150 million revolving loan and letter of credit facility, a $250 million revolving loan and letter of credit facility and a $100 million revolving loan and letter of credit facility.
• Represented a commercial bank in connection with a $120 million credit facility for a global mining company.

Certain of these matters occurred prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg LLP.

Panelist, “Islamic Finance and Law,” Columbia Law School, October 30, 2023.

Panelist, “Scaling ESG in Islamic Finance from Halal to Tayyib: a Roundtable Discussion with Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar of Malaysia,” Harvard Club of New York City, May 18, 2023.

Guest Lecturer, “The Future of Islamic Finance,” St. Francis College, November 15, 2022.

Guest Lecturer, “Islamic Finance in the Global Context,” Emory University School of Law hosted by Lee Ann Bambach, November 8, 2022.

Panelist, “The Future of Finance and Society: a Roundtable Discussion with Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar of Malaysia,” Columbia Business School, June 1, 2022.

Speaker, “ESG Counseling in Finance and Capital Markets,” American University Washington College of Law hosted by Professor Walter Effross, May 24, 2022.

Guest Speaker, “Love as a Faith Strategy: Exploring ESG, Ethical Finance, the Workplace and Boardrooms,” Podcast hosted by Love as a Business Strategy, May 4, 2022.

Panelist, “Doing Business with the Middle East: Trends, Challenges, and Strategies,” New York City Bar Association, June 24, 2021.

Panelist, “Art Law and Lending,” Rutgers School of Law, February 25, 2021.

Instructor, “Islamic Finance in the Aviation Sector,” JetBlue Seminar, November 5, 2020.

Guest Lecturer, “Islamic Banking and its Future,” St. Francis College, November 14, 2019.

Panelist, “Islamic Finance in the West,” New York University Stern School of Business, October 21, 2019, with co-panelist Majid Dawood, CEO of Yasaar Capital.

Panelist, “Halal Economy: Trends and Opportunities in Islamic Finance,” Muslim Urban Professional (Muppies) Annual Conference, September 21, 2019, with co-panelist Sheikh Taha Abdul-Baseer, former Chaplain at Harvard University, and Amany Killawi, Co-Founder and COO of LaunchGood.

Speaker, “Structuring Islamic Finance Transactions in the United States,” New York University Stern School of Business, April 1, 2019.

Quoted in, among others, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Alternative Credit Investors, S&P Global and Family Wealth Report. 
 
Author, “Private Credit Loan Transactions,” LexisNexus Practical Guidance Practice Note (2024).

Author, “Enforceability of Islamic finance contracts in the US,” Islamic Finance News, Volume 20, Issue 14 (April 5, 2023).

Co-author, “Overview of Sustainability-Linked Loans and Green Loans Guidance,” chap. 4.1 in How To ESG: A Resource Guide for Establishing an ESG Program for Your Company (2022).

Author, “Values-Based Finance: A Case Study of Islamic Finance,” chap. 4.3 in How To ESG: A Resource Guide for Establishing an ESG Program for Your Company (2022).

Author, “Arab Money: Why Isn't the United States Getting Any?,” University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law (2011).