RPCK Rastegar Panchal LLP Announces Key Hires to Meet Increased Client Demand for Innovative, Sophisticated Financial Structures Driving Systems Change
Senior Counsel, Bjorn Sorenson and Senior Associate, Sebastian Martinez-Villalba, Bring World-Class Transactional Expertise To Multiple Bottom-Line Investing
New York, NY — February 2, 2022— RPCK Rastegar Panchal LLP (RPCK), an international law firm focused on providing highly-tailored and innovative solutions to leading impact investors, entrepreneurs and growth enterprises around the world, announced today it has expanded its legal team with two new hires including Bjorn Sorenson, Senior Counsel and Head of Learning, Development, and Impact Assessment (LDIA) and Sebastian Martinez-Villalba, Senior Associate. Both team members are based in RPCK’s New York City office and report to Founding Partner, Chintan Panchal. The two strategic hires will enable RPCK to maintain its leading role in structuring innovative, complex financial transactions while deepening the firm’s ability to partner with clients in driving critical impact investing outcomes.
As Senior Counsel, Mr. Sorenson leads RPCK’s debt finance practice, advising borrowers and lenders on leveraged finance and secured transactions. His deep and diverse legal practice also serves clients in a general advisory and outside general counsel role. Mr. Sorenson is also a noted expert in conflicts resolution and brings a background in human rights and development work, and is leading RPCK’s new initiative on Learning, Development, and Impact Assessment (LDIA). In his role as head of LDIA, Mr. Sorenson will lead an initiative to assess and measure the firm’s own impact in the sustainable investing ecosystem. He will also help RPCK attorneys act as agents of impact to clients so they can better achieve their impact investing objectives by integrating them into financial transactions.
Prior to joining RPCK, Mr. Sorenson served the impact investing community as independent counsel at Blue Dot Advocates, PBC and King Spoke Advisors, assisting investors and social enterprises in structuring legal frameworks to advance social missions.
At RPCK, Mr. Martinez-Villalba specializes in structuring complex venture capital investments, fund formation, and corporate and finance transactions on the company, fund and investor sides. This includes the prioritizing of off-market priorities and goals as well as incorporating long-term investment strategies.
With a background in venture capital and private equity investing, Mr. Martinez-Villalba brings first-hand knowledge as an investor on a wide range of deals across sectors and markets around the world. Prior to joining RPCK, Mr. Martinez-Villalba was an Associate Vice President at DigitalBridge where he oversaw the structuring and negotiation of a variety of co-investment processes in Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America. He also advised and oversaw the launch and formation of private equity funds, foreign investment platforms, and acquisitions of digital infrastructure companies in Latin America, Asia, Europe and North America.
Prior to joining Blue Dot Advocates, Mr. Sorenson practiced in the New York and Singapore offices of Skadden Arps where, as a Senior Associate, he represented top investment banks, private equity, and corporate clients on over $10 billion in aggregate international financial transactions. He also served as the first General Counsel to Grameen America, Inc.— the US affiliate of Grameen Bank’s Nobel Prize-winning Microfinance model, building a legal department covering all aspects of policies, procedures, programs, and strategic growth initiatives. Mr. Sorenson holds a J.D. from American University, a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a B.A. from Western Michigan University. He holds a bar admission in New York and Illinois.
Mr. Martinez-Villalba has also worked at Otter Inspirations, LLC, a family office, where, as Deputy General Counsel, he led dozens of venture capital investments including convertible notes, SAFEs, and direct investments. While working at Otter Inspirations, he also negotiated investments in venture capital, private equity, credit, and real estate funds both domestically and abroad. Mr. Martinez-Villalba holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Florida State University. He holds a bar admission in Florida and is fluent in Spanish.
Chintan Panchal, Founding Partner, RPCK: “As multiple bottom-line investing moves closer to the mainstream of investing, it is critical that investors have access to highly sophisticated, cutting-edge legal solutions that can deliver strong investment and impact outcomes. Both Bjorn and Sebastian are attorneys of the highest order. Each brings valuable experience and perspectives on how to build bespoke deal structures as well as an exceptional appreciation for how to create outcomes that benefit all parties to a transaction
In addition to Bjorn’s bringing exceptional expertise in structuring a range of debt transactions, I am particularly excited for his leadership in helping our attorneys create impact that fulfils our clients’ objectives as well as their own. Sebastian brings a highly valuable background in investing, which includes significant experience working with family offices, so critical to the development of the impact investing ecosystem. RPCK is often sought after for our ability to structure the deals that define the playbook for the future growth of impact, and I am confident that Sebastian will add tremendously to our abilities in this area.”
Bjorn Sorenson, Senior Counsel, RPCK: “I’m excited to join the RPCK team, especially at a time when investors of all types are recognizing the importance of multiple bottom-line investing. Part of what makes RPCK so unique is their understanding that clients need their attorneys to be trusted advisors who can advise beyond the four walls of a contract as they grow and scale. As the pre-eminent boutique law firm specializing in impact investing, RPCK is also a wonderful home for attorneys seeking to practice in a world-class legal environment that also encourages you to live the values and vision for the world that you want to create, and the firm’s emphasis on personal and professional growth is remarkable and genuine. I am looking forward to helping the firm scale its practice and working with my colleagues in my capacity as head of LDIA.”
Sebastian Martinez-Villalba, Senior Associate, RPCK: “Increasingly, investors such as family offices, endowments as well as a range of asset managers have goals and priorities that require doing more than just following “market” economic terms. RPCK has established itself as a go-to firm for investors around the world that seek attorneys with the ability to tailor sophisticated deals and strategies to their particular priorities, goals and values in a highly authentic manner. I’m thrilled to join the RPCK team.”
About RPCK Rastegar Panchal LLP
RPCK Rastegar Panchal LLP (RPCK) is an international boutique law firm with a practice focused on providing highly-tailored and innovative solutions to investors, entrepreneurs and growth enterprises around the world. Among our clients are leading family offices and foundations, high growth companies, and investment funds across a broad spectrum of industries throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. RPCK has offices in New York, Vienna and Denver.
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