DLA Piper‘s practice is described as ‘excellent – highly professional, diligent, approachable and commercial‘. Matthew Christmas and Joseph Frew jointly lead the team; Christmas, who is ‘widely respected in the market’, is known for his advice to banks and credit funds on bilateral and syndicated facilities. Frew, meanwhile, is ‘approachable and practical’ and is strong on asset-based lending work, including real estate finance, both regionally and nationally. Rebecca Williams, who joined from Addleshaw Goddard in February 2019, has strengthened the team, bringing expertise in asset finance. Legal director Sidraf Arif works on structured finance transactions, both nationally and internationally.