Jacky Kelly > Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP is best known for its leading role in the CLO market, in which it acts for leading players Apollo, M&G, Fair Oaks, RBC BlueBay and Guggenheim, among others. The firm also handles a broader range of securitisations. Head of the London structured finance and derivatives practice Jacky Kelly is widely recognised for her skill in transactions covering diverse asset classes, among them pan-European auto fleet rentals, residential property bridging loans, shopping catalogue receivables, and broadcasting receivables. She advised Guggenheim Securities on an innovative transaction to securitise Syco Entertainment’s intellectual property in the ‘Got Talent’ franchise across 72 territories. Kelly and associate Luke Stowe ‘have a deep understanding of the European CLO space and provide solid advice on transactions and potential regulatory issues‘. Key partner Brian Maher recently acted for Apollo Management International LLP and Redding Ridge Asset Management in a range of new CLO issuances, refinancing and warehouse transactions, including the offering the €452m RRE 11 deal. ‘The whole team, from partner to associate, works well together and focuses on supporting the client‘, remarks one client.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP is known for being ‘very accessible, and finding a good balance between simply recapping points of negotiation, and providing a view on importance and relevance‘. Jacky Kelly leads the structured finance practice and, though best known for her work on CLOs, also handles repo and TRS funding for some of the practice’s anchor clients. Counsel Andrew Lauder has a broad derivatives practice that sees him advise on OTC transactions and structured capital markets deals. Clients note that he is ‘always  on hand to give good advice, and has a good grounding in the product detail, rather than just legal detail‘. Both Kelly and Lauder are key advisers to swap counterparties, including global banks, and originators such as Guggenheim Partners and M&G on swap transactions entered into by structured finance vehicles in relation to securitisations and CLOs.