Matthew Tobin > Slaughter and May > London, England > Lawyer Profile

The ‘highly professional and service-minded‘ team at Slaughter and May has a ‘fantastic reputation‘ on behalf of the pre-eminent roster of institutional investment grade corporate borrowers that the firm has nurtured over the years. Although event-driven syndicated financing work has been significantly impacted by the market uncertainty caused by the pandemic, the team has been very active helping many of the firm’s FTSE 100/250 clients seek to stabilise their financing arrangements, including accessing government support packages, as well as dealing with facility extensions and advising on covenant waivers. ‘Excellent‘ finance head Philip Snell has been pivotal to much of the Covid-related work and also remains a trusted advisor to the Association of Corporate Treasurers across a range of matters, including on the LMA loan recommended documentation and LIBOR transition. Matthew Tobin is also recommended and has been heavily involved assisting corporates on their liquidity and financing needs in sectors hugely impacted by the pandemic, including retail, travel and leisure.

Slaughter and May has ‘depth and breadth of knowledge coupled with commercial outlook and ability to simplify the detailed complexities‘. The firm is known mainly for its issuer-side practice, though it increasingly acts for underwriters on large mandates. In 2020, the firm assisted HM Treasury with the  Covid Corporate Financing Facility which was introduced to provide liquidity to investment-grade corporates making a material contribution to the UK economy. Lead partner Matthew Tobin advised Burberry Group plc on its inaugural £300m sustainability bond. Guy O’Keefe is known for his work on liability management transactions for issuers, borrowers, lenders and other counterparties. Caroline Phillips has a broad-ranging finance and in 2020 advised on numerous regulatory capital transactions, including Just Group plc on its £250m bond offering. Robert Byk and Ed Fife also handle high-value DCM mandates as part of their broad finance practices.

Slaughter and May is strong in acting for borrowers which are active in the investment and development sectors. The residential property, logistics, hotels and student accommodation sectors are also areas of expertise for the firm. The ‘incredibly knowledgeable‘ Matthew Tobin brings his experience as head of the firm’s debt capital markets and sustainable finance practices to property finance transactions.