About Elizabeth Hermann Smith

Elizabeth Smith counsels lenders pursuing and providing financing in all areas of leveraged finance. She works to create a smooth, efficient process that gets her clients to closing, while feeling good about the negotiated terms of the deal.

Smooth, successful deals for client growth

Elizabeth represents administrative agents, lead arrangers and lenders primarily in syndicated senior secured cash flow transactions, as well as representing mezzanine investors and borrowers in leveraged buyouts, dividend recapitalizations, add-on acquisition financings, workouts and other credit transactions. As a member of the Katten team named one of Franchise Times' Dealmakers of the Year in 2018, Elizabeth has significant experience with franchisor, franchisee and company-owned restaurant and retail lending in both the sponsor and nonsponsor context, as well as experience in health care financing and across a number of other industries.

Elizabeth has been with Katten for her entire career and has become an integral member of the firm and the Commercial Finance practice, always ready and willing to counsel associates and clients. She is on the Steering Committee of the firm's Women's Leadership Forum (WLF) and is a member of the WLF's National Mentoring Panel. In 2018, Elizabeth received Katten's Pro Bono Service Award for her involvement in a number of the firm's pro bono efforts including, among others, the Katten Legal Clinic, the Lawyers in the Classroom program and representation of various nonprofits in a number of matters. In addition to firm pro bono, she is a long-time member of the Associate Board of One Tail at a Time, a local Chicago dog rescue.

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Practice Focus

  • Leveraged finance transactions, including senior secured, mezzanine, first lien/second lien, unitranche and split lien structures
  • Restaurant and franchise finance
  • Health care finance

News

Presentations and Events

Practices
Industries
Education
  • DePaul University College of Law, JD, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif
  • Columbia University, MA
  • Yale University, BA
Bar Admissions
  • Illinois
Community Involvements
  • The Chicago Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee Co-Chair
Languages
  • Italian
Recognitions
  • Franchise Times
    Dealmakers of the Year, 2018