Reliable Legal Support for Your Journey

Kanchana was the General Counsel of the proptech company EasyKnock.  There, she had a mandate to de-risk the business and prepare the Series C company for further growth.  Over the course of 3 years, she supported the buy, build, and partner strategies to expand the business from its core residential sale-leaseback product into a technology platform for alternative real estate and financing solutions.

Accordingly, Kanchana completed 4 acquisitions: Ribbon Homes, Onder, Balance Homes, and HomePace, which expanded EasyKnock’s blueprint into the home equity investment and real estate financing space.  In addition, she supported the company’s equity raises and debt financing arrangements, closing on a Series D round and several credit facilities, which substantially lowered the company’s cost of capital.

When EasyKnock ceased operations, Kanchana managed the orderly winddown of the company outside of bankruptcy, including workouts with creditors, divestitures, transitioning servicing of the portfolio to a new asset manager, and handling corporate requirements for dissolution.

As EasyKnock’s Corporate Secretary, Kanchana reported to the Board of Directors and was responsible for corporate governance, including drafting and implementing policies, preparing resolutions and minutes, maintaining corporate records, and complying with reporting requirements in the 48 states where the company did business.

Prior to EasyKnock, she was Deputy General Counsel at the fintech company Better and provided legal support to 4 operating companies in the areas of mortgage, real estate brokerage, title and settlement, and homeowners insurance.  She partnered with the business to develop new products and services, expand strategic partnerships, and prepare the company to go public through a de-SPAC transaction.

For nearly 5 years, in her role as the Chief Legal Officer of registered investment adviser Gilead Capital, Kanchana worked closely with the Chief Investment Officer to plan and execute shareholder rights campaigns, including by disclosing substantial holdings, promoting sound stewardship practices, recruiting qualified director candidates, and running proxy solicitation campaigns.  She ran shareholder campaigns in the United States, Europe, and Australia, and settled with investee companies for board seats for Gilead Capital’s principals, along with the right to appoint mutually agreeable directors in subsequent years (NYSE: LDR, NASDAQ: CPSI, ASX: ISD).

As Chief Compliance Officer, she was responsible for administering Gilead Capital’s compliance program and ensuring compliance with the Investment Advisers Act, liaising with U.S. and foreign regulators, and overseeing public filings in multiple jurisdictions. She guided the firm through its first SEC examination.

Prior to Gilead Capital, Kanchana spent approximately 14 years as a commercial trial lawyer, including as a Litigation Partner at Kasowitz, Benson & Torres LLP, where her practice focused on bet-the-company litigation on behalf of institutional investors, asset managers, and high-net-worth individuals.  She primarily litigated cases involving securitizations and specialty finance products that unraveled during the 2008 financial crisis.  She advised executive management teams and corporate boards on litigation risks, government enforcement actions, and crisis containment.

Before Kasowitz, Kanchana practiced at the law firms of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, and clerked for a federal judge, the Honorable Shira A. Scheindlin (S.D.N.Y.).