Dan Kennedy > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Norton Rose Fulbright ‘has extensive capability across all corporate finance matters’, notably in mezzanine structures, development financings, forward fundings, Opco/Propco structures, and sale and leasebacks. ‘Standout’ Sarah Cullen leads the team, and is active in hotel financings, loan portfolio sales and distressed debt restructuring. Banking partner Dan Kennedy is sought after for development financings of large-scale mixed-use regeneration projects. Structured finance expert Jennie Dorsaint and senior associate Jessy Makdessi are also of note.

With a client roster featuring luxury hotels – including Claridge’s, the Connaught and the Berkeley hotels – the cross-disciplinary and international practice at Norton Rose Fulbright, which has offices throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the US and the Middle East, regularly advises on all aspects of hotels and high-profile leisure projects. The team is well versed across the full spectrum of matters in this space, including construction and development, dispute resolution, financing, environment and safety, franchising, data protection, mergers and acquisitions, and operations. Team leader Wasim Khan also heads up the real estate team; his client roster includes many investors from the Middle East, and recent highlights have spanned development, advisory, and financing work. Another key lawyer in this field is corporate transactional specialist Chris Randall, who also specialises in advising cruise operators. Dan Kennedy and Sarah Cullen are particularly experienced in financing work in this sector. Planning law specialist Sarah Fitzpatrick has significant involvement and experience in leisure schemes.