Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

Lindsay Flora, a former partner at Kirkland & Ellis with a specialty in debt finance, has joined Dechert, praising its culture and saying her financing experience complements the firm's strong private-equity practice.

Flora said she wasn't looking to move on from Kirkland, which she joined as a partner in early 2017 after just over eight years at Cahill, Gordon & Reindel. Markets have been strong, she said, and earlier this year she worked on a rewarding assignment representing Cerberus Capital Management in its acquisition of Sparton Corp., a high-tech manufacturer.

But she said "everything clicked" when she learned about the opportunity at Dechert and began meeting people there. Like Kirkland, the firm works with big clients in private equity and asset management, including Cerberus, Court Square Capital Partners, Centerbridge Partners and the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, she said.

She said her first focus is to integrate herself into Dechert's private-equity and finance teams.

"They valued my experience and my personality," said Flora, who said she left Kirkland on Oct. 4 and started at Dechert in New York on Monday. "Once I came here, I knew this was going to be a home to me for a very long time."

According to an archived copy of her bio on Kirkland's website, Flora worked on deals for clients such as Trilantic North America, Monomoy Capital Partners, Advent International, Altor Equity Partners and a portfolio company of Strategic Value Partners called Klockner Pentaplast of America. She also helped Sycamore Partners in its $6.9 billion acquisition of office-supplies giant Staples, a deal she said was large, complex and successful for the client.

Her work on Cerberus' acquisition of Sparton was also noteworthy, she said, partly because of the regulatory angle that was raised because of Sparton's government contracts. Flora said that deal, which closed in March, was her first one coming back from maternity leave, and the teamwork involved made it an especially rewarding one.

Flora said no others were joining her in her move and she doesn't think her practice will change much. Dechert said she has worked for borrowers, private equity sponsors, commercial lenders and other capital providers in leveraged acquisitions and other transactions, including bridge loans, syndicated debt facilities and other high-yield financings. Her new colleagues praised her hiring in an announcement.

"Lindsay's significant accomplishments in work-outs and restructurings will support our clients when the financing cycle changes," said Scott Zimmerman, who leads the firm's leveraged finance practice.

"We enjoyed working with Lindsay and wish her well," said a Kirkland representative.