Bijal Vira

Bijal N. Vira is a partner in the Corporate and Finance Practice Groups in the firm’s New York office. Mr. Vira’s practice is focused on representing investors and investment funds, and his experience is far-reaching and covers all major investment classes. He regularly advises clients in the following situations:

• Leveraged buyout (LBO) funds and family wealth offices in platform and add-on acquisitions, related acquisition financing (senior and second lien or mezzanine financing), and the subsequent harvesting of such investments;
• Private credit funds, business development companies, and small business investment company funds in secured and unsecured debt and debt/equity hybrid investments;
• Credit opportunity funds and hedge funds in special situations, including acquiring and disposing of debt or equity investment positions before and during bankruptcy;
• Venture capital funds, corporate venture capital divisions, insurance companies and non-institutional investment groups and ultra-high net-worth individuals in minority equity investments, co-investments and joint ventures; and
• Real estate funds in the acquisition, development and sale, and related construction or permanent financing (usually with one or more mezzanine tranches), of real property assets either exclusively or in joint ventures.

In addition to counseling investors, Mr. Vira frequently represents companies (particularly in the technology, financial services and insurance industries) in strategic acquisitions and dispositions.

When he’s not providing transactional advice, Mr. Vira advises clients on corporate, limited liability company and partnership governance matters, management incentive arrangements, and employment agreements. He is also often engaged as special M&A counsel to major commercial banks providing acquisition financing in LBO transactions.

He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, in 1999 from the University of Rochester. He received a J.D. in 2002 from the University of Chicago Law School.

Education:

• J.D., University of Chicago, 2002
• B.A., University of Rochester, 1999
• B.S., University of Rochester, 1999

Admissions : New York