Philip Stopford > Shearman & Sterling LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Shearman & Sterling LLP has a full-service finance practice with a global presence, covering a range of areas including project finance, acquisition finance, ECA financings, restructuring and Shariah compliant financing. Philip Stopford and Abu Dhabi-based Laleh Shahabi co-head the UAE banking and finance practice. Shahabi was promoted to partner in July 2021 and has expertise in project finance and development transactions.

‘Able to leverage strong commercial awareness in combination with legal skills to deliver truly innovative solutions’, Shearman & Sterling LLP‘s lender-focused practice is adept at structuring M&A mandates utilising debt throughout the capital structure. Although the team maintains strong ties with commercial and investment banks and is often engaged in large-cap mandates using an integrated bank and bond approach, in recent years it has made more strides in the private credit space, primarily as a result of some astute recent hires. Both team head Sanjeev Dhuna and Rahul Chatterji, who joined in the summer of 2021 from Allen & Overy LLP and Milbank, respectively, have made a significant impact in the space as a result of their connections with numerous funds and prowess at structuring cross-border direct lending transactions from unitranche up to more complex PIK, first and second lien structures. Philip Stopford  and the ‘very diligent and commercial’ Korey Fevzi  are also key members of the team for  private equity sponsors and banks; both recently advised underwriters in connection with T-Mobile’s €2.4bn TLB, revolving facility and intercreditor agreement. The arrival in June 2022 of Shameer Shah from White & Case LLP further strengthens the firm’s leveraged finance capabilities in light of his direct lending expertise.