Travis J. Wahl
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- Columbia University School of Law, LL.M., 1996, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- University of Houston Law Center, J.D., 1990, cum laude
- Texas A&M University, B.A., Finance, 1985
Bar & Court Admissions
Travis is a partner in the Columbus office and is the immediate past chair of the firm's finance, energy and real estate group. He practices primarily in the areas of derivatives and finance. He has extensive experience in the representation of commercial and investment banks, financial institutional holding companies, and borrowers in the preparation and negotiation of single institution and syndicated secured and unsecured U.S. Dollar and multicurrency credit facilities, private placements, and mezzanine and second lien financings.
Travis represents numerous financial institutions and public and private companies in derivatives activities, including advising on Dodd-Frank regulatory requirements and has a broad range of experience in the negotiation of derivative transactions and structured financial products, including transactions under the ISDA Master Agreement and related schedules and annexes, including credit support documentation.
Travis also advises clients in general business transactions, including acquisitions, sales, documentary and standby letters of credit and uniform rules for collections.
Career highlights include:
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Advised Greif, Inc. in its $2.475 billion credit facility and $500 million Notes offering in connection with the financing of Greif’s acquisition of Caraustar Industries Inc., a Georgia-based box manufacturer, for a purchase price of $1.8 billion
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Structuring and negotiation of initial multi-currency facilities for money center banks in New York
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Representation of financial institutions, bond issuers and business counterparties in complex accelerated stock repurchase transactions, equity and commodity derivative products, as well as interest rate and foreign exchange hedge transactions
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Negotiation of multiple billion dollar syndicated credit facilities and numerous multi-million dollar securitization, receivables and asset based financing transactions, including the negotiation and structuring of intercreditor and subordination documentation
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Serving with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry at the Japan External Trade Organization in Houston, Texas as an analyst in the oil and gas and technology arenas
Travis received an LL.M as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar from Columbia University School of Law. He received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. in finance from Texas A&M University.
Before joining Vorys, Travis practiced in the area of global corporate finance in New York.
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Banking and Finance Law, 2010-2021
- Chambers and Partners, Leading Lawyer in Banking and Finance, 2018-2020
- Columbus CEO, Top Lawyers in Columbus, 2015-2016
- IFLR1000 Corporate & Financial List, Banking and finance and Capital markets: derivatives – notable practitioner, 2020
News
- 10/15/2020Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP has been recognized in the 2020 edition of IFLR1000, an organization dedicated to providing a comprehensive analysis of lawyers and firms working in the corporate and financial space.
- 8/20/2020One hundred and twelve lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. In addition, 26 Vorys attorneys were named to the inaugural Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 8/3/2020Vorys recently advised Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and its wholly-owned indirect subsidiary Abercrombie & Fitch Management Co. in connection with the Rule 144A/Regulation S offering.
- 4/23/2020Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is pleased to announce that 30 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2020 edition of Chambers USA.
- 9/4/2019Vorys recently advised Worthington Industries, Inc. and two of its European subsidiaries in their €91.7 million private placement offering of senior notes.
- 8/15/2019One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020.
- 4/26/2019Vorys announced that 30 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2019 edition of Chambers USA.
- 12/28/2018Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP recently advised Greif, Inc. in its $2.475 billion credit facility and $500 million Notes offering.
- 11/14/2018Vorys recently advised Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) connection with its acquisition of Omni Air International, a Tulsa-based services carrier.
- 8/15/2018One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019.
- 5/4/2018Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease is pleased to announce that 32 of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized among the leading practitioners in the country in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA.
- 10/3/2017
- 8/17/2017One hundred and eight lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
- 7/28/2017Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP recently advised Worthington Industries, Inc. in connection with its underwritten public offering of $200 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.300% Notes due 2032.
- 12/19/2016Vorys recently advised The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in connection with its Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of $250 million aggregate principal amount of 5.250% senior notes due 2026.
- 8/15/2016One-hundred and eleven lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017.
- 10/15/2015Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP recently advised The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in connection with its Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 6.000% senior notes due 2023.
- 8/26/2015Vorys recently advised First Financial Bancorp. in connection with its underwritten public offering of $120 million aggregate principal amount of 5.125% subordinated notes due 2025.
- 8/17/2015One-hundred and eighteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016.
- 6/4/2015Vorys recently advised A. Schulman, Inc. in connection with senior secured credit facilities provided by a group of lenders led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Administrative Agent in connection with its acquisition of HGGC Citadel Plastics Holdings, Inc. (Citadel) for the purchase price of $800 million.
- 8/18/2014One-hundred and ten lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2015.
- 4/16/2014Vorys advised Worthington Industries, Inc. in connection with its underwritten public offering of $250 million aggregate principal amount of 4.55% senior notes due 2026.
- 8/14/2013One hundred and eleven lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2014.
- 8/23/2012One hundred and twenty-six lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2013.
- 9/6/2011
- 8/9/2010
- 8/4/2009
Events
- 9/6/2017Vorys Partners Travis Wahl and Nici Workman were speakers at the 8th Law of Shale Plays Conference hosted by the Institute for Energy Law and The Energy & Mineral Law Foundation on September 6, 2017.
- 3/4/2015Vorys presented a Financial Institutions Summit on March 4, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 9/18/2014Vorys attorneys Steve Browning and Travis Wahl presented at the 4th Annual U.S. Regional Banks FX Forum on September 18, 2014.
Insights
- 2/2/2021The ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (IBA), the administrator of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), published a consultation on December 4, 2020 requesting public feedback on its intention to cease the publication of (1) the 1-Week and 2-Month USD LIBOR on December 31, 2021 and (2) the Overnight and 1, 3, 6 and 12 Month USD LIBOR on June 30, 2023 (the IBA Consultation).
- 12/4/2018On October 31, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury released proposed regulations under Section 956 of the Internal Revenue Code (Proposed Regulations) that, for certain U.S. corporate shareholders, generally undo the “deemed dividend” rules that have applied to foreign corporate subsidiaries for decades.
- Winter 2016Recently five federal agencies, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (collectively, the Agencies), issued much-anticipated joint final rules (the Final Rules) that establish minimum margin and capital requirements for registered swap dealers, major swap participants, security-based swap dealers and major security-based swap participants (Swap Entities) for which one of the Agencies is the prudential regulator (Swap Entities regulated by one or more of the Agencies are referred to as Covered Swap Entities).
- 11/17/2015Recently five federal agencies, The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Farm Credit Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, issued much-anticipated joint final rules that establish minimum margin and capital requirements for registered swap dealers, major swap participants, security-based swap dealers and major security-based swap participants for which one of the Agencies is the prudential regulator.
- 3/21/2014In November of 2013, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued Final Rules on the Protection of Collateral of Counterparties to Uncleared Swaps (the Final Rules).