Erica Temel is a partner in Willkie’s Asset Management Department. She is based in the Firm’s New York office. Erica focuses her practice on all aspects of the formation, fundraising, marketing, management, and ongoing compliance of private investment funds across various asset classes, including buyout funds, credit funds, opportunistic funds, and real estate funds, as well as on co-investment arrangements, “funds-of-one”, separately managed accounts, upper-tier structuring, seed investments, and fund-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions transactions. Erica also advises on the operational, legal, and regulatory issues faced by fund sponsors. Erica is recognized by Best Lawyers magazine as “One to Watch” (2023-2026). Prior to joining Willkie, Erica was a partner at another large international law firm. Prior to law school, Erica was an investment banking analyst in the Debt Capital Markets group at Lehman Brothers.
Experience
Select matters include*:
- Represented a leading health care investment firm on the formation and ongoing operation of its second flagship fund and related parallel vehicles and co-investment vehicles.
- Represented a middle market sponsor on simultaneous closings for $4.3 billion buyout fund and $835 million credit fund.
- Represented Blackstone in multiple fundraisings, including the establishment of the $30 billion Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Program and various co-investment vehicles.
- Represented KKR in a number of matters, including the formation of multiple equity and credit co-investment vehicles.
- Represented Square Mile (now Affinius Capital) in multiple fundraisings for real estate debt and opportunistic funds, including Square Mile Tactical Partners II, Square Mile Partners V and VI, and multiple co-investment vehicles.
- Represented Riverstone in a number of matters, including the formation of its inaugural credit fund and multiple co-investment vehicles, and in connection with a strategic minority interest by Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Petershill fund in Riverstone Holdings LLC.
- Represented Castlelake in a number of matters, including the formation of Castlelake Income Opportunities II, an asset-based private credit product, with approximately $782 million in capital commitments and the formation of Castlelake Aviation V, an aviation-focused fund, and its related aviation strategy investment vehicles, accounts, and co-investments, with over $2 billion in capital commitments.
- Represented founders and other “C-Suite” executives of investment firms on upper-tier arrangements.
*Prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2012 Cornell University, B.A., 2006