Holland & Knight Strengthens Finance Practice in Los Angeles with Additions of Hamid Namazie, Yoojin Lee and Mark Spitzer

LOS ANGELES (June 20, 2023) – Hamid Namazie, Yoojin Lee and Mark Spitzer, three highly regarded finance attorneys in Los Angeles, have joined Holland & Knight's Financial Services Team as partners. They will also be members of the firm's Asset-Based Lending Team. Mr. Namazie, Ms. Lee and Mr. Spitzer join the firm from McGuireWoods LLP, where Mr. Namazie served as managing partner of the firm's downtown Los Angeles office.

"Hamid, Yoojin and Mark are key additions for us as we continue to build out our national finance practice. They are exceptional practitioners who are well known to the lending community and materially deepen our capabilities in California, particularly in the asset-based lending space. We are very excited to welcome them," said Jose Sirven, chair of Holland & Knight's Business Section. "In addition to being accomplished attorneys, they are very active in the local community and in national industry groups, which makes them a great fit for Holland & Knight culturally."

Mr. Namazie's practice focuses on representing a wide range of clients, including banks, institutional lenders and commercial finance companies providing asset-based loans, senior-secured loans, second-lien loans and subordinated loans. He has particular experience in complex intercreditor issues, debtor-in-possession financing, workouts, cross-border and multicurrency lending structures, widely syndicated loan transactions and exit financing. Mr. Namazie also serves on the executive committee and as chair of the advocacy committee of the Secured Finance Network (SFNet).

Ms. Lee's practice focuses on representing financial institutions across a wide array of industries in domestic and international secured lending transactions, with an emphasis on asset-based lending. Her practice also includes syndicated credit facilities and acquisition financing, and she has experience in debtor-in-possession financings. She was selected for inclusion in the Secured Finance Network's The Secured Lender – Women in Secured Finance publication in 2022 and named to SFNet's 40 Under 40 list in 2021.

Mr. Spitzer has more than 30 years of wide-ranging experience in the commercial finance arena. His core client base consists of money center banks, regional commercial banks, local agencies of foreign banks, finance companies and alternative lenders, including structured debt funds. He structures, negotiates and documents a broad variety of finance transactions, including complex secured and unsecured syndicated credit facilities, cash flow and asset-based loans, acquisition financings, credit product portfolio sales, mezzanine investments and multistate real estate secured transactions. He has extensive experience in loan workout matters, including debt and equity restructurings.

"We are thrilled to join this group of talented attorneys at Holland & Knight, many of whom are well known to us through industry activities and deal work," said Mr. Namazie. "The chance to grow the firm's coast-to-coast finance practice while enhancing the level of service to our existing clients is an opportunity we could not pass up."

Mr. Namazie received a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and a B.A. degree from UCLA. Ms. Lee received a J.D. degree from the UCLA School of Law and a B.A. degree from UCLA. Mr. Spitzer received a J.D. degree from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. degree from Wichita State University.