Private Credit Service Partner

PRIVATE CREDIT SERVICE PARTNER

(Partner Level – Non-Equity or Service Partner Track)

ROLE OVERVIEW

Katten is seeking an experienced Private Credit Service Partner to support its market-leading

middle-market private credit practice, one of the firm’s marquee platforms. Katten is among the

top private credit firms in the middle market, closing hundreds of transactions annually, with deal flow that consistently exceeds current capacity.

This role is designed for senior private credit lawyers who bring exceptional technical execution skills and want to work in a high-volume, sponsor- and lender-driven environment, without the

expectation of originating a large book of business.

Service Partners at Katten play a critical role

in delivering complex transactions efficiently and at scale.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as senior deal counsel on middle-market private credit transactions, including:

– Cash-flow and asset-based financings

– Acquisition financings

– Recapitalizations and refinancings

– Syndicated and bilateral credit facilities

– Mezzanine and structured credit transactions

• Act as a trusted execution partner to relationship partners and key lender clients

• Lead transaction structuring, drafting, negotiation, and closing

• Manage multiple concurrent deals in a fast-paced, repeat-transaction environment

• Supervise and mentor associates and junior lawyers

• Maintain consistent quality and responsiveness across high deal volume

• Collaborate closely with private equity, investment management, and restructuring teams

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Significant experience in private credit / leveraged finance, particularly middle-market work

• Strong execution reputation with lenders, credit funds, or sponsor-backed borrowers

• Comfortable handling high deal volume with efficiency and precision

• Practice focused on execution rather than origination

• Some client relationships or limited portable work welcome, but not required

• Collaborative mindset and strong internal partner relationships

• Desire for long-term platform stability rather than short-term lateral movement

WHAT MAKES THIS ROLE UNIQUE AT KATTEN

• One of the few firms that regularly hires partners with little or no portable business

• Deep, stable client base with deal-after-deal work already in hand

• Private credit is a marquee practice, not a secondary offering

• Opportunity to work on sophisticated transactions without sales pressure

• Clear expectations set upfront regarding role, hours, and compensation

• Strong internal demand ensures consistent utilization and long-term security

HOURS & COMPENSATION (CONTEXT)

• Service partners are expected to maintain strong hours reflecting high deal volume (1900 hours)

• Compensation is very competitive, though lower than partners with large originating books

• Pay is tied to:

– Hours

– Execution quality

– Reliability and internal demand

• Compensation expectations are clearly discussed upfront to ensure alignment

WHO IS A GOOD FIT

• Senior private credit lawyers who prefer doing the work over chasing origination

• Partners frustrated by business-generation pressure at their current firm

• Lawyers with highly valued technical skill sets whose books alone would not justify equity

• Candidates seeking stability, scale, and consistent deal flow

WHO IS NOT A FIT

• Candidates uncomfortable with high deal volume

• Lawyers looking for reduced workload tied primarily to origination credit

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WHAT IS A SERVICE PARTNER?

A service partner is a partner-level attorney whose primary value comes from high-level legal execution rather than client origination. Service partners typically maintain a smaller book of business — not large enough on its own to justify a traditional equity partnership — but possess specialized, high-value skills that are essential to the firm’s core practices.

At Katten, service partners:

• Perform sophisticated, partner-level legal work for key clients

• Support relationship partners on major matters

• Are fully integrated into the partnership

• Receive strong compensation, though generally less than partners with large books

• Are evaluated based on execution quality, hours, and reliability rather than sales

In private credit specifically, service partners are a strategic strength of the firm, allowing Katten to meet extraordinary client demand while maintaining exceptional execution standards.