Jennifer B. Hildebrandt

Partner, Paul Hastings LLP

Biography:

Jennifer B. Hildebrandt is a partner in the Corporate practice of Paul Hastings LLP and is based in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office.  Jennifer represents banks and other lenders in numerous types of finance transactions, including asset-based loans, cash flow loans, and restructurings and distressed credit.  Jennifer has extensive experience in acquisition financings, recapitalizations, refinancings, restructurings and work-outs.  She works on many complex intercreditor arrangements, including split-collateral transactions, multi-tranche transactions, super-priority revolvers, and first-second lien transactions.  In addition, Jennifer is very experienced with cross-border transactions and across numerous business sectors, including healthcare, technology, media, franchise, restaurants, casinos, manufacturing, and vehicle and airline transportation.

Jennifer has been ranked in Chambers USA (California Banking & Finance) in 2013 through 2017. Speaking engagements and publications include: Moderator of “Need Debt Financing? Alternatives to Traditional Bank Lending” at the Institute for Corporate Counsel in December 2016; “Equitable Subordination: What a Secured Lender Should Know” – State Bar of California Business Law News (Issue 4 2014) and “Predictions for Intercreditor Arrangements in 2015 and Beyond – The Devil Really is in the Details” in The Secured Lender in April 2015. Jennifer received her B.A. from Pomona College and her J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, (cum laude, member of the Law Review).

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

When you are just starting out in an industry, there is so much to learn and so much that is new that it is easy to get lost in minutiae for too long.  I would love to see more women step out of that earlier in their careers and look at the big picture, challenge norms, and forge new paths in the industry.  I think that people who do this have the greatest chance at major success.  My experience is that men do this more quickly in their careers and more routinely, and it is one of the reasons they end up in leadership roles. 

Studies have shown women are more reluctant to tout their accomplishments in the workplace. What advice would you give to help women be more comfortable with speaking up?

One of the things the women in my practice talk about quite a bit these days is authenticity and being “real”.  If a woman is real about her accomplishments and her challenges, almost no one will be put off.  My advice is to be real and tout your accomplishments, but also recognize the challenges you faced along the way.

How have you approached big career decisions?

I have approached big career decisions slowly and with patience.  In my work life, I try not to do anything rash and I try to really recognize how lucky I am to be where I am.  My advice is to be grateful to have the job or business that you have, and approach decisions with that as the backdrop.  It might be that a major change is still warranted, but I feel that this helps lessen the likelihood of poor decisions.

What do you enjoy most about your role?  Least?  

I have always loved the deal work.  I love the feeling of being a part of the team that puts together and closes a deal.  When a deal or matter closes, I feel a real sense of accomplishment.  My least favorite part of the job is the requirement that I account for every 10 – 25 minutes of my day in timesheets!   

Walk us through a typical day in your life.

My life has been pretty frenetic over the past several years in light of how active the markets have been.  My typical day starts very early with a series of conference calls.  The calls range from kick-off calls on deals, to page flipping of loan documents, to negotiations over key deal provisions.  When the conference calls slow down, I typically spend time giving the more junior attorneys on the team guidance about what needs to be accomplished over the next 24 – 48 hours (some of this comes out of the calls).  I then typically turn to responding to unanswered emails, reaching out to business prospects, and attending to general management and administrative tasks.  Towards the end of the day (and sometimes into the night), I typically review diligence materials or structural matters in deals, draft agreements and/or review and comment on agreements others have drafted. 

How do you balance work/personal time?

This is really tough for everyone in our industry.  I am lucky because I have a lot of family around me to help with day-to-day non-business matters so that I can spend time with my family or take some personal time.  I recommend that women try to build a network of family and friends to provide emotional and other support.  That way, even if perfect work/personal balance is not achieved, you still will feel pretty good about things.