Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP > London, England > Firm Profile

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Finance > High yield Tier 2

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP has a stellar reputation in New York law deals, in which it predominantly acts for corporate issuers in high-value bond offerings, though it is starting to handle a growing workload for underwriters. The firm has 'very strong technical and commercial knowledge of the market'. London managing partner Philip Boeckman and co-head of the EMEA capital markets practice George Stephanakis lead the high yield group, in which key partner Alyssa Caples has 'very strong knowledge, is always available, and manages transactions quietly and efficiently'. European counsel Margaret Rallings also plays a pivotal role in some of the firm's largest deals. Boeckman and Rallings acted for the initial purchasers of an €850m offering of 144A/Reg. S high yield senior secured notes offering for Loarre Investments, a portfolio company of CVC Funds, to fund the company's investment in LaLiga in exchange for an interest in media and TV rights. Caples assisted INEOS Finance with the offering of €400m and $425m in high yield senior secured notes.

Finance > Debt capital markets Tier 3

Clients praise the capital markets team at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP for its 'availability, profound legal knowledge, and practical approach'. The firm is best known for its high yield work, though it also investment grade bond issuance for corporates and sovereigns. Co-heads of the EMEA capital markets practice Philip Boeckman has 'a very good understanding of clients' needs', and George Stephanakis are the key partners. European counsel Lawrence Verhelst, who acts for corporate and sovereign issuers and financial institutions, has 'very solid US law knowledge and a practical approach to solving legal issues'. Boeckman and Verhelst recently acted for European Investment Bank in six registered notes offerings with a total value of $25bn, including a $5bn Climate Awareness Bond and a $4bn Sustainability Awareness Bond.

Finance > Acquisition finance

Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans

United States > Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)

United States > Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP fields an ‘excellent, dedicated and highly professional team’ of seasoned trial lawyers who are adept across the full range of high-profile, business-critical litigation, including disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, employee ‘raiding’, and unfair competition claims, among many others. New York-based attorneys Gary Bornstein and Kevin Orsini, who is praised by clients as the ‘best in the business’, jointly head the litigation department. Bornstein predominantly focuses on antitrust, M&A and securities litigation, while Orsini remains a key name for complex litigation relating to mass torts and post-M&A disputes, among others. Pre-eminent trial lawyer David Marriott‘s practice emphasises litigation and arbitration in the areas of antitrust, intellectual property, employment and securities, while Lauren Moskowitz represents some of the firm’s biggest clients in crucial restructuring andIP litigation mandates, including appearing before the Supreme Court. Former firm chairman Evan Chesler retired from the litigation department in December 2023. All named contacts are based in New York

United States > Finance > Financial services regulation

In addition to advising banks and fintechs on federal and state banking regulations and requirements under Dodd-Frank and Basel III and the regulatory requirements of transactions and bank alliances, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP‘s Washington DC-based financial regulatory team also supports clients with their crypto-asset dealings. Under the leadership of Jelena McWilliams, who took up the role following David Portilla‘s departure in April 2023, the team is frequently called upon to handle disputes arising out of regulatory issues. The arrival of Jeffrey Dinwoodie, also in April, from JPMorgan Chase’s team, saw the firm augment its finance and crypto-asset regulatory practices, and he is also noted for his experience in supporting industry bodies in relation to policy initiatives.

United States > Finance > Commercial lending

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP‘s banking and credit practice is experienced at handling a range of lending transactions. The New York-based team is jointly led by George Zobitz  whose practice encompasses syndicated loans, direct lending transactions and securities; Tatiana Lapushchik  who is a key name for leveraged and investment grade bank financings in the industrial, consumer, technology, media and oil and gas sectors; and Stephen Kessing who is well versed at representing borrowers across a range of industries and large financial institutions in a range of lending transactions. Matthew Kelly is also a valued member of the team with experience representing clients on both the lender and borrower side of financing. March 2023 saw the arrival of Korey Fevzi and Philip Stopford from Shearman & Sterling LLP.