The Legal 500

Work Department

European finance, insolvency and restructuring groups.

Position

Head of the firm’s English law finance group in London; has extensive experience in international financing transactions, including investment-grade credits, leveraged financings (senior, second lien, mezzanine, high yield and PIK), restructurings, securitisations, structured financings, project financings and corporate finance. He has represented many of the leading US and European banks and other financial institutions (including JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas and ABN AMRO) as well as private equity sponsors, investment funds and international corporations.

Career

Trained Allen & Overy; qualified 1981; Allen & Overy, London 1979-84; seconded to US investment bank 1983-84; Allen & Overy, Dubai 1984-86; Allen & Overy, London 1986-89; Allen & Overy, Paris 1989-93; admitted as French avocat; Allen & Overy, London 1993-99; Allen & Overy, Paris 1999-2002; partner Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, London 2003 to date. Recent representations include: Itau Unibanco Holding in the establishment of a $10bn medium term note program and a $1bn offering of 6.2% subordinated notes due 2020, its $1bn offering of 5.75% subordinated notes due 2021 and its BRL 500m offering of 10.5% senior notes due 2015; Park Square Capital in connection with the financing of its European Credit Opportunities fund; Interros International Investments Ltd in their group financing activities; Polyus Gold/KazakhGold in their financing activities; Aeroflot in their debt capital markets activities; Novae Group plc in their financing activities; Rexel in the €650m issue of senior unsecured high yield notes; the mezzanine lenders in the restructuring of a UK LBO; Oaktree Capital Management and Franklin Mutual in connection with the £6.45bn restructuring of Eurotunnel debt; Globo Comunicações e Participaçõs in its $1.3bn restructuring; Brake Bros Ltd in connection with a £275m PIK facility; Park Square Capital in connection with the financing of its European Credit Opportunities fund; Interros Group (Russia) in their financing activities; Doughty Hanson, Exponent Private Equity, Beacon Capital Partners and AREA Property Partners in their fund financing activities; The Carlyle Group in relation to the Carlyle Europe Technology Partners funds. Co-published an article entitled ‘Mezzanine Financing – The European and US experience’, ‘The 2005 Guide to Private Equity and Venture Capital’, and was a contributor to ‘The Debevoise & Plimpton European Private Equity Handbook’ (2005).

Languages

French and German.

Member

Paris Bar.

Education

Dulwich College; Cambridge University (1978 BA; 1981 MA); College of Law, Lancaster Gate (1979 Law Society Finals).