Katherine Bell is a partner in the Paul Hastings Global Finance practice. Ms. Bell is based in the firm’s Orange County office.

Ms. Bell focuses her practice on commercial and corporate finance transactions. She regularly represents banks, investment banks, finance companies, private debt lenders, other lenders, and borrowers in working capital facilities (cash flow and asset-based), acquisition financings, structured financings, and restructurings and recapitalizations—both cross-border and U.S. focused. She has industry experience in a variety of business sectors including technology and software, healthcare, transportation and logistics, energy, retail, food and beverage, and manufacturing and industrials.

Ms. Bell has significant experience negotiating intercreditor relationships, including 1st lien/2nd lien transactions, split collateral arrangements, and unitranche transactions. She represents clients in all parts of the capital structure—senior, junior, first lien, second lien, first out, last out, super-senior, and preferred equity.

Ms. Bell is the co-author of Asset-Based Lending: A Practical Guide to Secured Financing (Practising Law Institute, 8th ed. 2015), which is generally considered to be the definitive treatise on asset-based lending.

• Chambers USA, Banking and Finance, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019
• Clients commend her “full understanding of what's on the table” and describe her as “a highly effective and efficient advocate for her clients.” Chambers USA 2016
• Chambers USA, “Up and Coming” in 2014 and 2015
• Chambers USA, “Associate to Watch” in 2011, 2012, and 2013
• Chambers USA, “Up and Coming Finance Lawyer of the Year” shortlist in 2012
• The Legal 500 USA, Commercial Lending in 2021, 2022

• J.D., from Cornell Law School in 2001
• B.A., from University of California at Irvine in 1998