Finance & Capital Markets (International & Cross-Border) | Global

The law firm combines excellent capabilities in the UK with a truly global scope, offering a full suite of legal services and specialist advisory in an array of high-end capital markets and finance areas. The firm provides a holistic approach for clients globally, with UK teams directing highly capable global colleagues to service clients on cross-border lending, IPOs, debt financing and derivatives. It maintains strong relationships with banks and financial institutions in the UK, the USA and Asia, as well as global private equity firms, financial sponsors and alternative lenders.

Recognised as one of the most internationally-focused firms in the UK, Linklaters offers an outstanding full-service practice in London, which is renowned for the quality of its international work throughout its wide-ranging scope of expertise. The London team holds an elite reputation for coordinating both transactional and contentious cross-border matters and often acts as the driving force behind strategic advice in global mandates. The law firm's distinguished global platform is also noted as a key attraction to clients, extending the firm's reach across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Africa and various emerging markets.

It is a premier UK firm offering top-tier expertise across financial products, providing a broad skill set and high-end capabilities in global transactional work. Well versed in project-managing large deals from London, the firm benefits from strong relationships with corporate multinationals and private equity players, and regularly advises on significant cross-border financings and capital markets work governed by UK law. The UK team is highly proficient in acquisition finance and offers further specialist expertise in the areas of ECM, DCM and borrower and sponsor-side finance work, including LBO finance structuring.

White & Case provides clients with an impressive global platform. The UK team handles high-end, complex mandates and works seamlessly with other offices in its expansive network across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. The team offers a full-service practice in London with notable transactional capabilities and a particularly high standing in finance and capital markets work, which has made the team an appealing option for numerous international banks. By remaining highly tuned to the needs of all international clients, it is a popular choice for global operations.  

Milbank is globally recognised as a premium choice for financing and corporate transactions across all of the world's major business centres. Its offices in the USA, Europe and Asia consistently advise institutional lenders and investors on the financing of business activities and major project development throughout the world and maintain a flexible approach to engaging local counsel based on the specific requirements of their clients.

A highly regarded player in the UK, the London team is known in the market for the broad skill set it offers to clients, with strong capabilities in core finance and capital markets areas. The team regularly advises corporate multinationals as borrower-side counsel on substantial cross-border finance, with a solid reputation for its expertise in acquisition finance. Its UK practitioners also provide sponsor-side experience in addition to international ECM and DCM work, and frequently project-manage work in collaboration with colleagues in the USA and other major economies.

This is an elite UK firm which is revered for its ability to orchestrate global mandates from London and has carved out a high level of influence worldwide. Slaughter and May's stellar cohort of blue-chip corporate clients regularly choose to instruct the firm as lead counsel on complex, cross-border transactions, with an emphasis on transformative M&A deals. Can also offer clients international capabilities in commercial and financial disputes and in antitrust litigation in addition to active financial crime and government investigations practices. In addition to its London headquarters, the firm operates from office locations in Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong. Slaughter and May's independent, lockstep model has also proved appealing when forging close relationships with firms of a similar style and status in jurisdictions outside the UK, ensuring that the firm can provide clients with a team of market-leading firms to add foreign law expertise on international work to fit the client's requirements.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges has forged an excellent reputation internationally through a global platform principally built around its transactional capabilities. The law firm's primary headquarters in New York and its impressive London base both act as important global hubs and are coupled with a far-reaching network of offices which extends across the USA and Europe, with Asian operations run from China. All the firm's offices have a principal focus on advising international banks, large multinational corporations and private equity funds. The firm typically offers strength in cross-border finance, restructuring, high-end M&A and tax across its platform.

New York-headquartered Davis Polk has high-end capabilities across transactional, regulatory and contentious areas. It is set up to serve global clients and project-manage matters from key financial centres, including London, Paris, Beijing and Hong Kong, and collaborates with selected partner firms in other jurisdictions for local law aspects. Primarily serving large US and international investment banks, financial institutions and corporates, the firm has extensive experience handling sophisticated, multi-jurisdictional M&A, financing and capital markets offerings, as well as running international investigations and disputes, including global antitrust files.

Hogan Lovells represents international clients across its full-service scope, providing an excellent cross-border service for a range of contentious, transactional and regulatory work. The London team remains a central contributor to the law firm’s worldwide success and it is particularly revered for its outstanding expertise in international dispute resolution. The team frequently coordinates cross-border work and has particularly close ties to the firm's European offices as well as forming an effective team with the firm's lawyers in other key jurisdictions throughout the USA, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

Mayer Brown is a full-service, global outfit which brings considerable transatlantic expertise to a broad spectrum of matters, particularly those relating to capital markets and financing. From London, clients with multi-jurisdictional needs reap the benefits of a practice encompassing both transactional and contentious mandates. Mayer Brown's capabilities from both the UK and USA are enhanced by a network of offices stationed in major financial centres worldwide.

Norton Rose Fulbright has an extensive network of offices distributed throughout North and Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. The law firm is structured in alignment with global industry sectors, which, combined with the geographic spread of its lawyers, make it a popular choice for global clients seeking a full-service offering. It focuses on building teams with sector-specific multi-jurisdictional expertise to meet the needs of clients with global businesses.

Sidley Austin is frequently sought out by international clients for its global sector expertise, with the firm's focus built around strong relationships with clients in financial service, energy, life sciences and biotechnology. While the firm's US base remains the key central hub of its global operations, Sidley Austin also attracts ample praise for its ability to join up experts across its platform throughout Europe and Asia, with offices in London, Singapore and China among others also playing a vital role in the firm's international appeal. The firm has an impressive ability to handle global transactions, disputes and investigations, enabling it to provide a comprehensive service on sophisticated matters for clients in its key industry groups.

Combining a well-established London team with a top-tier New York practice, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is renowned for handling complex cross-border work with a strong focus on transactional mandates. The London office provides clients with impressive experience in large international M&A, cross-border financing and a strong focus on the private equity sector. The UK team is primarily responsible for the firm's work and clients across Europe, as well as working in conjunction with lawyers in the law firm's principal hub of resources in New York, which means it is chiefly engaged on high-value international work.

Baker McKenzie offers one of the most expansive and established international footprints in the legal industry, and its global reach is frequently referenced by multinational clients as one of its primary assets. The London office acts as an important hub of lawyers with international experience and expertise across multiple areas, offering a full-service scope. The law firm enjoys an excellent reputation for its international and cross-border capabilities and is often praised for the smooth execution and collaboration clients experience across the firm's network.

"The international network of the firm is fluid."