Biography • Banking

Mr Smith has been a recognised leader of the finance bar for a generation. As a partner in Davis Polk's credit group, his practice in recent years has focused on acquisition finance as well as a broad range of secured credit transactions running the gamut from traditional leveraged acquisition structures to complex debt restructurings.

He represented JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup as lead arrangers of bridge and term loan financing aggregating $4 billion for Cliffs Natural Resources Inc to finance its acquisition of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Ltd in 2011; JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch as lead arrangers of a $2.5 billion revolving credit facility for Johnson Controls Inc in 2011; Deutsche Bank as facility agent for a €7 billion multicurrency facility for Daimler AG in 2010; JP Morgan as lead arranger of an $8.6 billion bridge credit facility for Caterpillar Inc to finance its acquisition of Bucyrus International in 2010; and Federal Reserve Bank of New York in connection with the establishment of the Term Asset Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF) in 2009.

He was identified by Chambers Global as the "dean of the financing bar". Mr Smith has been noted as a leading practitioner in his field by every published survey in general circulation, including, to name but a few: Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business; Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business; IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms; Law Business Research's Who's Who Legal -The International Who's Who of Banking Lawyers; American Lawyer Media's Corporate Counsel: Best Lawyers in Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Law; and The Lawdragon 500: Leading Dealmakers.

He is currently a member of the American Law Institute and a member of the American Bar Association. He was an ALI representative, on the UCC Article 9 drafting committee, and chairman of the ABA's subcommittee on secured transactions from 1983 to 1987.

Bradley Smith was an associate from 1974-1980 and has been partner from 1980 to the present. He has been admitted to the State of New York, US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit and US District Court Southern District New York.