Leonard Cleland > Clifford Chance LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Clifford Chance LLP ‘has no peers when it comes to the delivery of legal services‘, according to one client. Another describes ‘an innovative team that focuses on protecting client’s interest than following the norm‘. The emerging markets team in London is active in deals in Africa, India, Latin America, Turkey, the CIS and the CEE region. Its expertise in in banking, project finance, commodity and trade finance, structured finance, securitisation and derivatives, and debt and equity capital markets transactions is market-leading. The lead partners are Leonard Cleland, who focuses on work in the CIS, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and infrastructure finance partner Simon Williams. Cleland advised the lenders on a €256m dual ECA-backed financing package for the development of three new hospitals in Angola. Energy and infrastructure partners Jeremy Connick, Kayode Oladipo (who is ‘an exceptional lawyer whose knowledge of law and the industry is remarkable‘) and Olamide Oladosu are heavily involved in the Africa practice. Connick and Oladosu advised Genser Energy on a $425m financing to boost its operations in Ghana. Capital markets partner Deborah Zandstra acted for The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in securing an Extended Fund Facility from the IMF. Senior associate Rebecca Shepherd in the global financial markets group also stands out for emerging markets transactions.

Clifford Chance LLP is adept at handling both inbound and outbound transactions across the oil and gas, construction, and transport sectors, with a clientele spanning financial institutions, telecom, and mining companies. Leonard Cleland excels at commodities, while Kayode Oladipo’s expertise lies in cross-border loan financing for infrastructure project development. The pair lead the Angola practice from London, ‘providing high-quality legal services’.