United Kingdom > Yorkshire and the Humber > Finance
Banking and finance
Banking and finance
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- Addleshaw Goddard LLP Leeds
- DLA Piper UK LLP Leeds, Sheffield
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2
- Eversheds LLP Leeds
- Pinsent Masons LLP Leeds
- Squire Sanders Hammonds Leeds
- Walker Morris Leeds
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3
- Cobbetts LLP Leeds
- Nabarro LLP Sheffield
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- Clarion Leeds
- Gordons LLP Leeds
- Irwin Mitchell LLP Leeds, Sheffield
- Lupton Fawcett LLP Leeds
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- Andrew Jackson Hull
- HLW Commercial Lawyers LLP Sheffield
- Keeble Hawson Leeds
- The Needle Partnership LLP Leeds
- Rollits LLP Hull
- Wake Smith & Tofields Sheffield
- Ward Hadaway Leeds
- Watson Burton LLP Leeds
Addleshaw Goddard LLP maintains a strong reputation, recently picking up new clients Canada Life and Credit Suisse. Work highlights included advising KCOM Group on its £200m facilities with a group of banks including Barclays Corporate, Lloyds TSB, HSBC and RBS. It also advised HSBS in connection with facilities made available to a newco backed by LDC to acquire Xirtam Group. David Handy oversees the department.
The team at DLA Piper UK LLP is ‘very experienced and hugely commercial in its approach’. In addition to the refinancing and restructuring work dominating the market, the team has been active in MBO financings, mixed debt and bond financings, project finance and some structured property finance. It recently advised on a loan to part-fund the £75m secondary buyout of Allied Glass Holdings by Barclays Private Equity and management and to provide working capital facilities. Sarah Day heads the team, and has an excellent reputation in the market.
Eversheds LLP continues to advise large plc borrowers and banks, often on an international basis. Recent instructions include a number of high-profile leveraged transactions including ‘new-to-market’ deals and complex local and national restructurings. Among its highlights was its advice to RBS on the facility renewal and refinancing of equipment rental specialist VP. Jason Wurzal and Kathryn Walters are the key contacts.
Under the leadership of John Cleland, Pinsent Masons LLP continues to act on significant transactions, including advising a syndicate of banks on revolving credit facilities for KCOM. It also advised Babcock Pension Trust on a longevity swap with Credit Suisse; and Barclays Private Equity on the debt aspects of the secondary MBO of Allied Glass.
Squire Sanders Hammonds provides ‘good value’ and a ‘good service’. 2010 saw a steady flow of activity for the team, with significant highlights including acting for Phoenix Equity Partners on the MBO of Andrew Page, involving facilities totalling £48m. Simon Owen is ‘very practical, pragmatic and client focused’.
Michael Taylor heads the practice at Walker Morris, which works closely with the firm’s cross-departmental property finance team. Alongside a number of refinancings, restructurings and reorganisations, the team advised Crédit Agricole Commercial Finance in structuring and providing substantial facilities to support the acquisition of WaverleyTBS from Heineken by Manfield Partners. Other clients include Lloyds and Dyson.
Cobbetts LLP continues to impress with its ‘extremely professional service’. It was recently reappointed to Barclays Bank’s lending services panel, and recent instructions include advising RBS in relation to the MBO by two previous divisions of Flow Group, showcasing the team’s cross-border capabilities. Chris Ramage heads the department.
Nabarro LLP recently recruited Dean Gormley from Halliwells as head of its practice, and is noted for its ‘in-depth knowledge’. The team was instructed by PH Investments on the negotiation of funding documents relating to the site acquisition and development of a GP surgery and pharmacy. Ben Hendry is ‘very commercial’ and ‘superb in negotiations’.
Led by Christian Hunt, Clarion’s clients include HSBC, which recently appointed the firm to its commercial panel. It also acted for Co-operative Bank in relation to the provision of acquisition finance for the buyout of British Thornton Direct.
Gordons LLP is a ‘high-class firm that delivers what clients want’ and sits on the panels of a number of banks including HSBC, RBS, Bank of Ireland, and Santander. Practice head Paddy Sturman is ‘a great banking lawyer’ whose ‘best skill is creativity in solving problems’.
Irwin Mitchell LLP’s team is led by James Bullock, a ‘valued business partner’ who is ‘excellent at finding solutions in an efficient manner’. Recent mandates include acting for Clydesdale on the £16m funding of a major property development.
Lupton Fawcett LLP’s team comprises lawyers from the firm’s property and corporate departments, with sector expertise including health and social care. Bob Harrap is the key partner contact.
Andrew Jackson acts for a mix of UK and overseas banks. Clients value the team’s ‘approachability’ and ‘commercial advice’.
HLW Commercial Lawyers LLP’s practice is led by Roger Dyson. It advises clients including Santander, Lloyds and Bank of Ireland.
Keeble Hawson’s ‘strong and proactive’ practice is particularly active in venture capital finance and fund work.
The Needle Partnership LLP advises in all areas of banking law, with particular expertise in Islamic finance.
Rollits LLP advises banks and businesses on secured lending and other matters. Richard Field ‘provides good-quality support’.
Wake Smith & Tofields’ clients include Yorkshire Bank and HSBC. John Baddeley is the key contact.
Ward Hadaway recently secured a number of panel appointments following the addition of Nick Bell in 2010 from Pinsent Masons LLP.
Watson Burton LLP regularly handles matters including transactional corporate finance funding and large-scale development funding. Key clients include Lloyds TSB, HSBC and RBS.
Insolvency and corporate recovery
Insolvency and corporate recovery
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1
- DLA Piper UK LLP Leeds, Sheffield
- Walker Morris Leeds
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2
- Addleshaw Goddard LLP Leeds
- Eversheds LLP Leeds
- Pinsent Masons LLP Leeds
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3
- Clarion Leeds
- Cobbetts LLP Leeds
- Squire Sanders Hammonds Leeds
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- Irwin Mitchell LLP Leeds, Sheffield
- Langleys York
- Lupton Fawcett LLP Leeds
- Brooke North LLP Leeds
- Carrick Read Insolvency Leeds
- Denison Till York
- Gordons LLP Leeds
- HLW Commercial Lawyers LLP Sheffield, Leeds
- Keeble Hawson Leeds
- Lee & Priestley LLP Leeds
- Rollits LLP Hull
- Taylor & Emmet LLP Sheffield
- Wake Smith & Tofields Sheffield
- Ward Hadaway Leeds
Renowned for its ‘first-class and timely service’, DLA Piper UK LLP has the capability to handle complex multimillion-pound assignments but is equally adept within the middle market. It recently acted for Dyson in a complex debt-for-equity and pension restructuring, valued at £100m. Leeds-based practice head Mark Jackson is ‘the font of all sound commercial knowledge’. Also in Leeds, Colin Ashford has ‘superb technical knowledge’. Duncan Mosley oversees the Sheffield office.
A ‘top performer’, Walker Morris in 2010 acted for the syndicate of banks in connection with the £52m debt-for-equity swap and debt restructuring of Dyson. Philip Mudd heads the department, which includes David Hinchliffe, who has ‘excellent knowledge of football insolvency’; and Duncan Lole, who is noted for ‘commercial decision making’. The team is also valued for the strength of its personal insolvency practice.
Addleshaw Goddard LLP operates on a national basis and has a strong reputation for its advice on complex issues. Clients include Anglo Irish Bank, Barclays, JD Sports and PwC, which the firm has been advising in connection with the receivership of Dairy Farmers of Britain. Graham Briggs is the key contact in the Leeds team, which also includes Andrew Smith.
Eversheds LLP ‘delivers quality advice time and again’, and ‘responds quickly with a commercial and flexible approach’. In 2010 it represented Lloyds Banking group as lender to the secured creditor in the restructuring of Swayfield’s Group. Practice head Peter Cranston is ‘very experienced and well respected’.
Pinsent Masons LLP is regularly called on to advise the major banks and accountancy firms, as well as various other blue-chip clients. It recently advised Ernst & Young as the liquidator of PAL SC Realisations, and acted for Proventec on a creditor scheme of arrangement. Jonathan Jeffries heads the department.
The team at Clarion is ‘courteous and knowledgeable, and has strength in depth’. It continues to act for KPMG as supervisor of the CVA of Industrial and Corporate Finance, a subprime lender owing over £35m to creditors. Practice head Ryan Millmore is ‘particularly good’, and David Arundel has ‘an excellent working knowledge of the industry’.
Cobbetts LLP’s practice is led by William Ballmann, who gives ‘practical, pragmatic and commercial advice’ and is ‘very easy to deal with’. The team advised the board of directors of Powerfuel on the insolvency of the Hatfield Colliery Coal Mine and in connection with Europe’s largest coal gasification non-carbon power station project, valued at £1bn.
Led by John Alderton, Squire Sanders Hammonds’ practice has considerable strength in complex restructurings. In 2010 the firm advised PwC in the disposal of Swayfield Group’s motorway service stations and main development site in order to satisfy bank debt of around £160m.
At Irwin Mitchell LLP, ‘the service is excellent’ and the team has ‘a commercial, client-focused approach’. In 2010 it advised Begbies Traynor on the interaction of Scottish insolvency rules with English rules. Joint national practice head Andrew Walker is ‘very precise, erudite and easy to work with’.
Langleys’ department is headed by Stephen Baylis. It recently advised Begbies Traynor on restructuring JS Scholes’ potato production business.
Led by David Smyllie, Lupton Fawcett LLP enjoys a solid reputation, particularly for bankruptcy work, and has growing expertise in advising distressed or insolvent legal practices.
Brooke North LLP’s Steven Frieze advises on personal insolvency issues, often attracting instructions from overseas. Other areas of expertise include corporate insolvencies affecting property companies.
Carrick Read Insolvency is a specialist insolvency firm that often attracts instructions nationally.
Denison Till’s ‘very commercial team’ is noted for its ‘concise and understandable advice’. Practice head Martin Frost impresses clients with his ‘determination to achieve the best possible outcome’.
Gordons LLP’s restructuring practice counts Morrisons and Bank of Ireland among its key clients. The team is ‘excellent in every aspect’, and Wayne Parker has a ‘no-nonsense, practical approach’.
HLW Commercial Lawyers LLP acts for a number of major insolvency practices including The P&A Partnership, Wilson Field and Abbey Taylor. Sheffield-based Ron Whitlam and Leeds-based David Guest are recommended.
Keeble Hawson’s team includes Richard Fergusson, who is ‘extremely knowledgeable, proactive and professional’. The team now has three partners, following the promotion in 2010 of Natalie Simms.
Lee & Priestley LLP’s key contact is Nigel Whitfield, who is highly experienced in personal insolvency. It regularly attracts complex bankruptcy instructions, and has particular expertise in the real estate sector.
Rollits LLP’s Ralph Gilbert is very experienced in insolvency, particularly contentious matters.
Taylor & Emmet LLP’s recent work includes advising the liquidator of Nonna’s restaurant on the sale of the business. Rob Moore is recommended.
Wake Smith & Tofields recently advised Yorkshire Bank on an EFG loan to assist in financing the MBO of Lightman Leisure. John Baddeley heads the practice.
Ward Hadaway’s clients include PwC, Mazars and Begbies Traynor. Steve Thomas is the key contact in Leeds.