Walkers acts for individual banks, syndicates and a variety of borrowers across fund (including NAV facilities), acquisition and real estate credit lines, in addition to assisting clients with their refinancing needs and TISE debt listings. Nigel Weston heads the group, focusing on both real estate and leveraged finance structures, and both he and Jon Le Rossignol advise lenders and borrowers on restructuring issues. Julia Keppe frequently assists banks with the structuring of NAV and other fund financing facilities, with James Lydeard providing expertise in private credit. Melissa Hellio is noted for her focus on real estate financing provisions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The Walkers team is responsive, commercial and pragmatic. The team is always a pleasure to work with. They work to broader deal timelines and are practical on the level of negotiation needed in light of the commercial backdrop.’
‘Julia Keppe is an excellent lawyer. She is hands-on, technically brilliant and commercially aware. We always enjoy working with Julia.’
‘James Lydeard is a brilliant operator: flexible, technically great, and solution oriented.’
‘From a Jersey perspective, Walkers is my go-to local firm. They are always responsive and very aware of pressures from clients vis-à-vis timings. They are pragmatic and commercial in their approach, and always willing to go the extra mile to assist.’
‘Louise Hamilton is my main point of contact at the firm - she is exceptionally responsive and always takes time to respond to queries promptly.’
‘Elaine Kelly is such a delight to work with. She is so on top of things, pragmatic and just gets the deal done.’
Key clients
- AlloyMTD (Jersey) Limited
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- Baupost Group
- Cineworld Group plc
- Citigroup Global Markets Limited
- Eagle Street
- FirstRand Bank Limited
- Goldfinch Partners
- Inclusive Finance Growth Limited
- JP Morgan
- Magenta Buyer LLC
- Morgan Stanley
Work highlights
Advised Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan in respect of a new senior facility agreement worth over $1.1bn for a global alternative investment manager.
Advised Cineworld Group on the Jersey law elements of its refinancing of existing loan facilities and an upsizing from a subset of its existing lenders for an approximate $1.9bn debtor-in-possession financing facility to ensure its continued operations.
Acted for Magenta Buyer LLC in connection with a liability management loan to a Jersey entity involving $400m of new capital across 34 jurisdictions.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Elaine Kelly
James Lydeard
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Melissa Hellio
Practice head
Nigel Weston
Other key lawyers
Jon Le Rossignol; Julia Keppe; James Lydeard; Elaine Kelly; Louise Hamilton; Melissa Hellio