Samuel Francis

Since joining Kirkland, Samuel has been involved in the following matters:

Fund Formation & Operation

• Oaktree Capital Management — Formation and operation of Oaktree Opportunities Fund XII and its related vehicles (Opps XII), a $12.9 billion opportunistic credit fund organized in 2023 that focuses on distressed liquid credit, rescue financings, debtor-in-possession financings, bankruptcy exit financings, loan portfolios, platforms and opportunistic capital solutions
• I Squared Capital — Formation and operation of ISQ Global Infrastructure Fund III (GIF III), a $15 billion infrastructure fund organized in 2022, and ISQ Growth Markets Infrastructure Fund (GMF), a $1.7 billion companion fund to GIF III organized in 2023, and their related commingled, investor-dedicated and deal-specific co-investment vehicles
• Glendon Capital Management — Formation and operation of Glendon Opportunities Fund III (GOF III), a $1.7 billion credit fund organized in 2024 that focuses on distressed credit and special situations opportunities
• Castlelake — Formation and operation of Castlelake Income Opportunities II (CIO II), a $782 million asset-based private credit product organized in 2022 that pursues investment opportunities spanning real assets, specialty finance and aviation

M&A and Other Transactions

• Blue Owl — Represented Blue Owl on its acquisition in 2025 of the business of IPI Partners, LLC, a middle-market investment fund manager focused on the digital infrastructure sector
• Macquarie Asset Management — Represented Macquarie in its preferred equity investment in 2023 in Pavlov Media, Inc., one of the largest independent providers of fiber-based internet connectivity to off-campus student housing in the United States
• Castlelake — Represented Castlelake in 2023 on the creation of a Bermuda-licensed reinsurance company, Itasca Re Limited, to offer insurance financing solutions to buyers and owners of commercial aircraft assets

Prior to joining Kirkland, Samuel was involved in the following matters:

Fund Formation & Operation

• Blackstone
  • Private Equity — Formation and operation of Blackstone Energy Partners III (BEP III), a $4.5 billion private equity fund organized in 2018 that invests in the energy and natural resources sectors
  • Tactical Opportunities — Formation and operation of Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund III (BTO III), a $4.1 billion fund organized in 2017, and its related managed account program, that pursue an opportunistic investment strategy across asset classes, industries and geographies; formation of Blackstone PTI fund (PTI), a $1.4 billion fund organized in 2019 that is investing in an owner and operator of communications infrastructure
  • Strategic Partners — Formation and operation of Strategic Partners VIII (SP VIII), an $11 billion global private equity secondary fund organized in 2018, and related comparable and overage vehicles
• Apollo Credit — Operation of Apollo Credit Strategies Fund (ACSF), an actively managed long/short event driven credit hedge fund organized in 2015, and related separately managed accounts
• KKR Credit — Operation of KKR Mezzanine Partners I (Mezz I), a $1 billion fund organized in 2012, and KKR Private Credit Opportunities Partners II (PCOP II), a $2.2 billion fund organized in 2015, that invest in private corporate debt and mezzanine lending, financial assets, hard assets and structured credit
• Morgan Stanley Infrastructure — Formation of North Haven Infrastructure Partners III (NHIP III), a $5.5 billion global infrastructure fund organized in 2018, and its related sidecar co-investment vehicles, that invest in private infrastructure assets and companies with the potential to be transformed into core infrastructure assets
• Tiger Infrastructure — Formation and operation of Tiger Infrastructure Partners Fund II (TIP II), a $300 million fund organized in 2016, and its related co-investment and managed account vehicles, that make growth-oriented middle-market infrastructure investments
• Fortress Investment Group
  • Private Equity — Formation and operation of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI), a global company that owns and acquires high quality transportation equipment and infrastructure organized in 2011 that raised $340 million in an initial public offering in 2015; operation of Fortress Private Equity Funds I-V (FPEF I-V) that made control-oriented investments in cash flow generating, asset-based businesses
  • Credit — Formation and operation of Fortress Credit Opportunities Funds III (FCO III), a $4.3 billion private equity style fund organized in 2011 that makes opportunistic investments in distressed and undervalued credits and assets; formation in 2014 of Fortress Japan Income Fund (FJIF), an open ended fund that invests in long-term, stable, income-generating assets in Japan, and Fortress Japan Opportunity Fund (FJOF), a private equity style fund that invests in distressed real estate loans and related assets in Japan
  • Liquid Markets — Operation of Fortress Macro Funds (FMF), Fortress’ flagship macro hedge fund organized in 2002 that invested based on economic trends; formation of Fortress Convex Asia Fund (FCAF), a liquid hedge fund organized in 2012 that invested based on elevated price swings in Asia
• H/2 Capital Partners — Formation of H/2 Special Opportunities II (H/2 SO II), a $2.2 billion hedge fund organized in 2011, by an institutional investment manager dedicated to commercial real estate credit

M&A and Other Transactions

• Patria Investments — Represented Patria on its announced business combination in 2021 with Moneda Asset Management, a Latin American asset manager headquartered in Chile
• KKR — Represented KKR on its $4.4 billion acquisition in 2020 of Global Atlantic Financial Group Limited, a leading retirement and life insurance company
• GSO Capital Partners — Represented Blackstone on its acquisition in 2017 of Harvest Fund Advisors LLC, an investment management firm with over $10 billion in assets under management, which invests capital raised from institutional investors in public MLPs holding U.S. midstream energy assets
• Credit Suisse — Represented Credit Suisse on the sale in 2013 of its Customized Fund Investment Group (CFIG), a global private equity, infrastructure and real estate investment management company, to Grosvenor Capital Management
• Massachusetts Mutual — Represented Massachusetts Mutual on its acquisition in 2012 of the retirement plans business of The Hartford Financial Services Group for $400 million

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, 2017–2021

Two Sigma Investments, LP, 2014–2017

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, 2011–2014