Banking & Finance: Mid-Market | UK

Nigel Ward is a longstanding practitioner noted for his adept representation of both lender and borrower-side clients, and who is experienced in cross-border transactions. He also has expertise in matters with bespoke intercreditor arrangements and is a specialist in infrastructure financings.

Managing partner of the Ashurst London office, Helen Burton draws on a wealth of experience when acting for clients such as banks, funds, private equity firms and corporates. She is a recognised expert in both leveraged and acquisition financings.

Penny Angell is the firm's UK managing partner and is held in high regard for her acquisition finance and corporate loan expertise. Her practice includes advising leading banks and corporates on a range of domestic and cross-border transactions.

"Alex provides very strong oversight as relationship manager, including on strategy. He is always accessible and on all the calls, very experienced, easy to work with, and can find solutions to problems."

Head of the finance group at Macfarlanes, Andrew Perkins is noted for his expert lender-side representation in traditional and leveraged finance. He is a stalwart of the alternative credit space and is regularly called upon by banks and debt funds to advise on complex financings. He additionally advises borrowers and sponsors in the fund finance space.

"David Miles is very experienced, knowledgeable and tenacious and can really fight for points we need him to win. He is very articulate and has a strong understanding of underlying principles as well as novel and unique points."

Kirstie Hutchinson advises on a broad range of leveraged acquisition finance matters. Her diverse client roster particularly centres sponsors and their portfolio companies, whom she assists with UK and cross-border financings. She has additional experience assisting direct lenders.

Head of finance Matthew Ayre is noted for his expert handling of leveraged finance matters. He is active across the finance space and counts lenders, corporate borrowers and private equity sponsors among his enviable client roster.

Matthew Cottis is highly regarded for his representation of lender-side clients. He has particular expertise in acquisition finance and is adept at handling cross-border matters.

"Paul has very strong oversight and while he is a senior practitioner he remains very involved in the day-to-day dealings. He provides strong strategic guidance but is also very in the details. Due to his high levels of experience he is able to help when problem-solving and thinking outside the box are needed."

"Phil's expertise and knowledge are exceptional. He consistently provides high-quality advice and support, accurately devising commercial solutions through drawing on a wealth of relevant experience."

Jo Robinson is noted for her expertise in the direct lending space. She is experienced in acting for debt funds, regularly assisting with matters involving unitranche and term loan financings. She also advises borrowers on structured finance matters.

Malcolm Hitching has substantial experience advising across the space, regularly acting for sponsor, borrower and alternative capital provider clients. He is adept at handling significant cross-border acquisition financings. In addition to his focus on leveraged finance, he is active in the litigation funding space.

Peter Crichton has a broad finance practice with noted expertise in acquisition and fund finance matters. He is experienced in acting on behalf of debt and private equity funds.

European head of leveraged finance Stuart Brinkworth advises lenders and sponsors on domestic and cross-border matters. He is active across a range of sectors and is noted widely for his strength on unitranche and acquisition financings.

Trevor Borthwick regularly advises lenders on the full span of corporate finance issues. His experience spans syndicated loans and refinancings, including cross-border transactions for prominent international banks.

Matthew Cox advises clients on a range of acquisition and leveraged finance matters. He is particularly noted for his sponsor-side representation and capabilities on multi-jurisdictional transactions.

"We were delighted in what he did for us. Matt and his team brought together an incredible work rate and drive and were really excellent at understanding the issues. This has made them our new go-to firm."

Nick O'Grady demonstrates experience across the space and has a particular focus advising lender-side clients, including direct lenders as well as large bank syndicates. He is able to advise on both domestic and cross-border transactions.

Richard Kitchen has significant experience advising both sponsor and lender-side clients. He is noted in particular for his strength in leveraged and acquisition financings and offers strong expertise in direct lending.

Smridhi Gulati joined Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in April 2023 and is particularly noted for her expertise advising direct lenders in mid-cap leveraged finance transactions. She has additional experience acting for major private equity sponsors.

Alex Dumphy is well regarded for his leveraged finance expertise. He acts for a variety of lender clients in addition to funds and corporates.

Andrew Gregson is a senior consultant who advises sponsor and borrower clients on acquisition and leveraged finance matters. His specific areas of strength include complex refinancings and debt restructurings.

Andy Kolacki acts for borrower, sponsors and lenders on a wide range of domestic and cross-border financings.

Ashley Young typically acts for borrowers and sponsors on financings, such as acquisitions and buyouts. He is also noted for his lender-side experience.

Aymen Mahmoud is noted for his ability to advise both borrowers and lenders on leveraged buyouts. He is experienced in transactions across sectors and jurisdictions.

Bryan Robson is co-head of Sidley Austin's leveraged finance practice in London. He centres his practice on the representation of private equity clients in complex financings, including sponsors, portfolio companies and private debt funds. He is noted in particular for his expertise in leveraged acquisitions and refinancings.

"When negotiating, it is really important to have a legal adviser who can put their foot down; Daniel is able to do that and asserts our points with a high level of clarity and detail."

Head of banking at BCLP, Emma Howdle-Fuller has considerable knowledge of domestic and global transactions. She is experienced in advising both lender and borrower clients on a broad range of finance matters.

Faisal Ramzan acts on behalf of alternative lenders on domestic and cross-border financings. He regularly advises clients on acquisition financings, as well as refinancing transactions, among other matters.

Ian Borman of Winston & Strawn has a practice which includes acquisition, ABL and bid financing. He is well placed to advise his diverse client base on both domestic and international matters, handling both lender and sponsor-side mandates.

James Crooks co-heads Sidley's leveraged finance practice in London. He typically acts for sponsors and borrowers on mid-cap financing transactions, with additional experience assisting well-known banks and direct lenders. His wide sector knowledge includes sports, insurance, energy and commodities, and manufacturing. He is also noted for his expertise in structured finance.

John Clark of Cooley has a multifaceted practice which includes lender, borrower and sponsor representation. He advises clients on a range of secured and unsecured financing matters and is frequently active on international matters, especially with US elements.

Julie Romer is adept at advising clients on acquisition and leveraged finance matters. She has experience acting for sponsors and borrowers in addition to lender-side clients on domestic and cross-border mandates.

Laura Ho has established a strong reputation in the mid-market space. She has experience in both corporate acquisition and leveraged financings and acts for a range of clients.

Global co-chair of financial services, Mark Dwyer is particularly active for corporate borrowers whom he advises on a range of financings. He has also got recent experience acting for direct lenders. He has considerable expertise in financing UK public takeovers of listed companies.

Mark Fine has substantial experience advising both borrowers and lenders across the space, in addition to private equity clients. He is well versed in take-private and acquisition financings, as well as refinancing matters.

Martin Yells is the UK head of banking and finance at the firm. He regularly advises corporates, sponsors and portfolio companies on corporate and leveraged finance matters, with additional expertise in real estate finance matters.

Michael Black specialises in asset-based lending matters. He regularly acts for lenders, counting a number of banks and financial institutions among his clients. He has additional expertise in real estate finance.

"Simon never gets flustered, is always very calm and has a very good approach. He will often resolve things in the background, saving me a headache."

Adam Caines has experience acting for alternative lenders such as credit funds as well as private equity sponsors. He regularly assists with domestic and cross-border acquisition financings.

"Alon is one of the harder-working attorneys I have worked with. He is also exceptionally strong and diligent, providing very pointed and technically strong drafting."

"Amin is a leading partner in the leveraged finance field. He provides commercial advice at every stage, and is part of an incredibly strong team at King & Spalding."

"Benoit was very responsive and did a great job keeping us updated on the latest developments. He was very good at discerning where he needed input from us and where he could act independently."

Christopher Akinrele joined the team at Norton Rose Fulbright in July 2023, bringing with him expertise in leveraged finance, specialty finance and general corporate banking transactions. He is well-versed in advising direct lenders. He has additional experience in asset-based finance.

"Francis is brilliant. He is a junior partner but he's superbly responsive and easy to talk to about what's market and what is not. He makes deals pretty simple overall and it's super good to have him on board."

Harriet West is a recently made partner who is very active for direct lenders. She is particularly adept at advising on acquisition and leveraged financings. She is regularly called upon by prominent clients to assist with domestic and cross-border transactions.

Nicholas Jupp is an associate at McDermott Will & Emery. He draws recognition for his ability to act across the finance market, supporting borrower and sponsor-side clients as well as direct lenders in acquisition financings.