The Legal 500

London: Corporate and commercial

M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£250m

Within: M&A: lower mid-market deals, £50m-£250m

The ‘excellent’ team at Winston & Strawn London LLP  is noted for its ‘real time responsiveness and proactive approach’, which ‘shows superb business acumen and industry knowledge’. Practice head Zoë Ashcroft ‘stands out in her passion and extraordinary dedication, commitment and speedy response to client’s needs’; she has strong involvement with cross-border transactions in emerging markets, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Nicholas Usher and 'rising star' Stewart Worthy are recommended as ‘really great to work with and always seem to be in control’. Usher represented Superior Industries International in its $715m acquisition of Uniwheels, while Worthy led on Yioula Glassworks’ €500m sale of its glass manufacturing operation in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Paul Amiss is also recommended.

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London: Finance

Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans

Within: Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans

Recognised for its 'collegiate and co-operative ethos', Winston & Strawn London LLP 's nine-partner finance practice specialises in handling complex cross-border mandates (often involving syndicated lender structuring) where it is able to add value to clients by virtue of its ability to provide seamless UK and US law advice on bigger ticket mandates. Rebecca Finn regularly provides the English law input on emerging markets financings on behalf of lenders and borrowers; she recently advised Cathay United Bank on a $35m syndicated loan to the Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia. The 'client friendly and pragmatic' Zoë Ashcroft is recommended in particular for her work on behalf of borrowers in Sub-Saharan African financings. Although he is primarily focused on sponsor-led leveraged deals, Ian Borman also handles corporate lending work and corporate acquisition financings.

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Emerging markets

Within: Emerging markets

Winston & Strawn London LLP is 'an excellent firm with top-level practitioners', according to one client. Another remarks that it is 'a very high-quality firm that seems to have retained its partnership collegiality and cooperative ethos'. The firm has a track record of transactional work in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Zoë Ashcroft is 'primarily a corporate lawyer but with her finance background she is able to provide the full range of services you need on a leveraged deal; she is client-friendly and pragmatic'. Ashcroft, capital markets partner Stewart Worthy and export finance specialist Rebecca Finn 'have excellent African expertise in particular'. James Simpson is recommended for infrastructure and power development and financing in Central and Eastern Europe. Finn acted for Taiwan's Cathay United Bank in a $35m syndicated loan to the Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia, and for the same client handled a $350m loan for the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam.

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London: Projects, energy and natural resources

Oil and gas

Within: Oil and gas

Global co-head of project finance James Simpson jointly leads the oil and gas at Winston & Strawn London LLP with Zoë Ashcroft who also leads the London corporate and finance department. Recently bolstered by the transfer of Stephen Jurgenson from the firm's Dubai office, the practice advised Electrogas on all aspects of the innovative LNG-to-power project in Malta; of counsel Jason Parker also collaborated on this mandate. Parker and Simpson also teamed up as project counsel to a joint venture planning to build an LNG terminal and distribution facility in Southern Europe.

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