Sandra Lee Montgomery

Montgomery likes to dig into complex, cross-border transactions for first- and second-lien senior lenders, mezzanine investors, and equity sponsors. She’s a partner in the corporate department and a member of the private credit and finance groups for the Los Angeles office of Proskauer Rose.

Fluent in five languages, her work has spanned continents and industries – including retail, technology, transportation, and agriculture. She’s represented clients in acquisitions, restructurings, and a range of financing methods.

Montgomery said she particularly enjoys transactions in heavily regulated industries like health care.

“If you don’t have complications, it’s really just a transaction between borrower and lender. It’s more interesting when we have problems to solve,” she said. “I feel like that’s where I can be adding value.”

Recent highlights of her work include representing Crestview Partners in its acquisition of touch-screen maker Elo Touch Solutions and Veritas Capital in its acquisition of workforce management software business API Healthcare. Montgomery has advised Apollo Global Management — considered one of the world’s largest alternative investment managers — in a number of matters.

Montgomery also gives a considerable amount of her time as a mentor for Proskauer’s Diverse Lawyer Mentoring Circle program. She guides junior-level associates through one-on-one coaching, counseling, and networking. As a Korean woman representing clients in the traditionally male-dominated banking and finance industry, Montgomery is an experienced adviser for new attorneys considering their place in the legal profession.

“It’s actually one of the best parts of what I do,” she said. “It’s not that what I do is not interactive enough, but this is interactive on a different level. I’m helping these associates take ownership of their path.”

Montgomery said she advises mentees to forge their own way forward in their law careers, whether they take a traditional or unorthodox route. For herself, Montgomery said she’s found satisfying challenges and purpose.

“I wanted to create my own work and my own destiny,” she said. “By doing it my way, I’m not afraid of anything.”

— Jennifer McEntee