Armand Perry

Practice Areas

Armand Perry has extensive experience in structuring, negotiating, and closing debt finance transactions.

As lender’s counsel, he has represented major commercial banks acting as lead agent or participant in the senior syndicated or bilateral financing of strategic acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and recapitalizations ranging from $250 million to in excess of $1 billion.

As borrower’s counsel, he has assisted sponsored and corporate borrowers, including start-ups and growth companies, in obtaining secured and unsecured financing critical to their capital structure and operations. His borrower-side representation encompasses registered debt securities; private placements; tax-exempt bonds; multicurrency, investment grade, ABL, second lien, mezzanine, subordinated, and DIP credit facilities; workouts; multijurisdictional security for credit facilities under U.S., English, French, and German law; and intercreditor arrangements.

In addition, he has experience with other forms of finance such as public finance, structured finance, trust preferred securities, and derivatives. His structured finance experience includes securitization, credit tenant lease, receivables financing, and other pass-through financings. His derivatives experience includes interest rate and foreign exchange options and hedging arrangements documented with ISDA, repurchase, and prime brokerage agreements.

In addition, he advises on legal opinion matters as a member of Smith Anderson's Opinion Committee.

Career

Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic (Bratislava, 1993-1994): Member, Department of International Relations.

U.S. Department of Defense (Washington, D.C., 1999): Honors Legal Intern, Office of General Counsel.

White & Case (New York, 1999-2007): Corporate, securities and finance practice.

Societe Generale (Paris, 2002): Secondment to derivatives practice.

Smith Anderson (Raleigh, 2007-present): Finance and corporate practice.

Honors: Best Lawyers®, "Lawyer of the Year," Raleigh Banking and Finance Law (2021). Best Lawyers®, Banking and Finance Law (2014-2022). White & Case Pro Bono Award (2006) for representation of a microfinance lender in developing countries and for assistance to U.N. war crimes trials in Kosovo.

Professional Memberships

Chair, Commercial Law and UCC Committee, North Carolina Bar Association (2011-2022).

Business Law Council Member, North Carolina Bar Association (2021-present).

Member of the North Carolina and Wake County Bar Associations.

Personal

Raleigh Chamber of Commerce: Leadership Raleigh (2016-2017).

Columbia University, J.D. (1999): Certificate in International Law; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Senior Editor, Columbia Law Review.

Johns Hopkins University, M.A. in International Relations (1999), with honors

Princeton University, B.A. in Politics (1992)

The Westminster Schools (1988), valedictorian