Sara Coelho

Sara Coelho

Partner

Email

sara.coelho@aoshearman.com

Phone

+1 212 848 4964

Offices

New York

V-CARD
Sara provides comprehensive finance advice in financial restructuring and lending in private credit, direct lending, and specialty finance transactions.

Sara’s financial restructuring practice focuses on restructuring and debtor-creditor rights. She represents companies, creditors and creditor groups, acquirers, equity owners and other investors in a wide range of matters, including financing arrangements, risk mitigation and planning, acquisitions of distressed or reorganized companies, liability management transactions, chapter 11 and out-of-court restructurings, cross-border insolvencies, resolution planning, and other matters.

Sara’s finance experience includes acting for creditors and agents on a variety of private credit, direct lending and special situation financings, for both acquisition, capital refinancing and liquidity management-related purposes, across a range of sectors, as well as DIP financings and exit financings. Sara’s combination of experience gives perspective into the needs of borrowers and lenders alike, and a unique ability to craft credit solutions to meet a wide range of financial and operational needs of individual businesses.

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • Bank of America, as Administrative Agent and Lead Arranger, in connection with Bank of America arranging the acquisition financing for MedImpact Healthcare Systems’ acquisition of Rite Aid’s “Elixir” PBM business in a Section 363 asset sale as part of Rite Aid's Ch. 11 cases in the District of New Jersey.
  • Brookfield on new debt financing facility for PosiGen—a residential solar provider—to support future asset growth and fuel nationwide expansion.
  • Brookfield on financing a portfolio of community solar projects developed by ClearPath Energy, which will allow for the expansion of ClearPath’s existing pipeline and acceleration of late-stage development. 
  • Greenidge Generation Holdings—a bitcoin mining and power generation company—in the restructuring of its debt and business, including the transfer of a significant portion of its mining rigs to NYDIG, its equipment lender, in exchange for significant debt reduction, a new financing agreement, and 5-year hosting arrangements with NYDIG.
  • Citibank N.A. as agent on a $1.75 billion DIP facility in Chapter 11 cases of Weatherford International plc—an Oil & Gas Services company—in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. 
  • Chapter 15 debtor in Inversora Eléctrica de Buenos Aires’s US insolvency proceeding, implemented in parallel with Acuerdo Preventivo Extrajudicial (APE) proceeding in Argentina.
  • Ad hoc group of noteholders in Newmont Goldcorp's consent solicitation and indenture amendment.
  • Ad hoc group of counterparties holding approximately 2,000 MWh in long-term power purchase agreements in PG&E’s Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California.
  • Nuclear power plant construction contract counterparties in Westinghouse’s Chapter 11 cases.
  • Major creditor in the first phase of Puerto Rico restructuring, including the first phase of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) restructuring (previous firm experience). 
  • GE Capital as plan sponsor in Chapter 11 case of Homer City, a power plant in Pennsylvania, and in related asset purchase transactions (previous firm experience).
  • Bank of America N.A. as administrative and collateral agent under a secured credit facility totaling over $1 billion in Toys “R” Us’ Chapter 11 cases.
  • Ankura Trust Company as DIP agent in Acosta’s Chapter 11 cases.
  • Ankura Trust Company as agent on prepetition, DIP and exit loans in connection with Joerns’ Chapter 11 cases.
  • Citibank on various credit and derivatives matters.
  • Ankura Trust Company as agent on multiple finance transactions.
  • Stoneway Capital Ltd. and its debtor affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases involving approximately $834 million of secured debt. Stoneway Capital is an Argentine holding company whose interests include building and operating power plants in Argentina. 
  • Southland Royalty Company—a private-equity sponsored E&P company with interests in over 8,000 wells throughout Wyoming, New Mexico, and Colorado—in its Chapter 11 cases, related litigation and asset sales. 
  • Nuverra Environmental Solutions, an oilfield services company, and its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases.
  • Fallbrook Technologies, a technology development company.in its pre-arranged Chapter 11 case.
  • Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc., an entity spun off from Sears, in Sears Holdings’ Chapter 11 cases.
  • Aleris International, aluminum manufacturing company, and affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases (previous firm experience).
  • Ad hoc group of bondholders in the Chapter 15 bankruptcy case of International Bank of Azerbaijan.
  • Mortgaged-backed securities contract counterparty in Chapter 11 cases of both Ditech Holding and Walter Investment.

Qualifications

Admissions

New York State (Second Dept)-NY-State - Bar Admitted, 2008

Academic

Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania, 2000
J.D., Cornell University, 2006
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.