Leveraged Finance and High Yield
Our European leveraged finance and high yield practice represents commercial and investment banks, senior, mezzanine and other subordinated lenders, financial sponsors and other equity investors, issuers and borrowers. We focus on all financial products and expertise relevant for our market. Our experience across a broad range of products and our knowledge of the market enhance our ability to find creative solutions to our clients’ business challenges.
Our leveraged finance and high yield team consists of a highly integrated group of English, U.S. and German qualified lawyers with long-standing experience in cross-border transactions involving multiple layers of financing and complex intercreditor issues. Our leveraged finance and high yield team encompasses over 20 lawyers in Europe. The team is supported by our recognized first-rate corporate, private equity and tax practitioners in our London and Munich offices.
In 2005, our leveraged finance and high yield team worked on transactions with an aggregate transaction value of over €25 billion.
Our leveraged finance and high yield team has played a key role in the development of the leveraged finance and high yield markets through their role on landmark deals and product innovation. The team’s achievements in Europe include closing many unique high yield and second lien transactions, and some of the most important English and German public-to-private deals. One of our most significant recent representations has been that of the Mandated Lead Arrangers providing committed debt facilities backing the c. £10 billion bid for BAA plc by a consortium including AIG, Borealis, Goldman Sachs and Ontario Teachers.
Each partner on our leveraged finance and high yield team is recognized as a leading lawyer in their area of expertise by Chambers Global. Awards for the European high yield team include the “European Debt and Equity-Linked Deal of the Year” for 2004 by IFLR and the “European High Yield Deal of the Year” for 2004 by Euromoney. Chambers Global 2006 counts the European high yield team among the top six teams in Europe and the leverage finance team among the top 7 banking and finance firms in Germany, and the JUVE 2005/06 Handbook lists the Frankfurt office among the top 4 acquisition finance firms.
Partners and Counsel
Holmes, Patrick
Magold, Rainer
Mehta, Suhrud
Muzilla, Kevin
Siebens, Thomas B.