Bryony Widdup > Hogan Lovells International LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Highly integrated with its fund formation team, the fund finance group at Hogan Lovells International LLP acts for fund clients, borrowers and lenders on all facility and fund types, assisting with fund set-up to end of fund life financing and ESG financings. Active across the UK, Luxembourg, the US, the Asia Pacific region and offshore jurisdictions, the team offers ‘depth of experience’ and ‘commercial understanding.’ Bolstering the practice with her arrival from DLA Piper in November 2022, practice head and fintech and finance lawyer Bryony Widdup is highly skilled in fund financing, structuring transactions, lending platform and digital assets related work. Another key name to note is fellow new arrival senior associate Mariel Luna, who acts for fund clients on capital call, hybrid and NAV facilities and GP support lines. Other key lawyers include Emma Clarke and Philip Robb.

Hogan Lovells International LLP has ‘a very capable and experienced team with good knowledge of the market and regulation‘. The firm handles the full range of derivatives transactions, though it is particularly strong in structured finance and structured finance-related derivatives, having established and updated many securitisation and repackaging programs containing swaps and repos. It also stands out for its regulatory expertise, as well as its capability in commodity derivatives. Global head of corporate and finance James Doyle leads the practice and is adept in securitised derivatives, repackagings, funding structures, and regulatory issues. Jennifer O’Connell is ‘an experienced derivatives and structured finance partner, who is hands-on and effective‘. She recently advised Teneo and the Special Administrators of Sova Capital on derivatives, securities lending, repo issues arising from its administration. The firm is one of the few to have a dedicated trustee practice, and Kit Johnson is a highly regarded practitioner. Bryony Widdup, who joined from DLA Piper at the end of 2022, brings significant expertise in digital assets including token structuring and issuance.

Payments, financial services regulation and technology issues – such as blockchain, cryptoassets and the financial services implications of AI – make up some of the key pillars of Hogan Lovells International LLP‘s wide-ranging offering. The practice is jointly overseen by global head of fintech, Emily Reid; head of the financial services regulatory practice, Jonathan Chertkow; head of of the digital assets and blockchain practice, John Salmon, and co-head of the sustainable finance and investment group Bryony Widdup – who joined from DLA Piper in November 2022. Michael Thomas is well placed to assess the regulatory feasibility of the use of crypto-based tokens, while James Black is a go-to name for major digitilasation projects. Payments specialist Roger Tym is regularly sought out by major payment services disruptors, while Anthony Doolittle frequently advises crypto exchanges on corporate governance matters. Jennifer Staniforth, James Sharp and Mark Orton further extend the fintech expertise at the firm.