Banking Lawyers

Acquisition Finance

We advise a range of lender and borrower clients on the financing of private acquisitions (by way of both share and asset purchases), management buy-outs and private investments. Our clients in this area include commercial and private banks, private equity funds and other private investors, private companies and management teams. This work is frequently complex, high value and often involves an international element.

Alternative Sources of Debt Funding

We have a successful practice advising borrowers and lenders on financing transactions with non-bank lenders including funding made available by real estate debt funds, sports debt funds and institutional non-bank lenders such as pension funds and insurance companies. We have a particular strength in advising on the raising of long term debt funding through the private placement market and have assisted a range of different clients (universities, schools, livery companies, landed estates and charitable trusts) on significant issuances in recent years.

Asset Finance

Building on the strengths of our private banking practice and private wealth heritage, together with our renowned expertise in the art and luxury goods sectors, we are developing a strong reputation in the luxury asset finance world. We regularly act for borrowers (including our high net worth clients) and lenders on financing works of art, private and business jets, yachts and other luxury assets (such as fine wines and classic cars) using the asset itself as collateral. The assets and principals are often based in different jurisdictions and we are used to assisting on complex ownership and operational structures across the globe.

General Lending

We regularly advise on financing transactions where the borrower’s cashflows or intangible assets, such as intellectual property or revenue streams, underpin the loan. We understand the different approach to the lending documents and security structure this merits compared to, for example, real estate finance where property values and rental streams are key components. We have a particular strength in the media (traditional and digital), sports, healthcare, hotel, education, charities and leisure sectors.

Real Estate Finance

We combine our property and construction expertise with our in-depth knowledge of the private and commercial banking industry to produce a specialist service to clients looking to finance investment properties and developments (whether acting for lender or borrower and whether secured against commercial, residential or mixed use assets) throughout the UK. Our bank clients in this area include Lloyds Banking Group, Coutts & Co, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank, Emirates NBD and Credit Suisse.

Regulated Lending

We advise on various issues arising in the context of regulated lending, including consumer credit and regulated mortgages. As well as transactional support, we have assisted a large number of institutional lenders in producing and updating their template finance documents for regulated mortgages and consumer credit agreements.