The ‘extremely approachable and knowledgeable’ team at Hogan Lovells International LLP provides ’exceptional client service’ to a creditor-focused client base that includes a high proportion of credit funds engaged in lending within the mid to-upper-mid market. Team head Paul Mullen  has been instrumental to the firm’s growth in this area, and his broad transactional nous, that includes expertise across a range of direct lending products, means the firm is also regularly instructed to advise clients on developing new and innovative products in the market. Jo Robinson also has significant experience in the space, particularly in relation to the unitranche product, as does the ‘very user friendly’ Francis Booth. The firm also continues to handle work for conventional banks, with vastly experienced practitioners Penny Angell , who also serves as UK managing partner, and Matthew Cottis  particularly skilled in relation to the financing of regulated insurance companies.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Extremely approachable and knowledgeable. Strong ability to distil more complex legal points in to more simple explanations.'
  • 'Strong commercial acumen and willing to tell us as clients when to push harder, and understanding of counterparties to get the best deal for us.'
  • 'Exceptional client service is provided by everyone from the London managing partner down; vastly experienced and thoroughly professional. I could not rate them highly enough.'
  • 'Penny Angell and Scott Gibson have been truly exceptional on our latest transaction. Their devotion to delivering client service, finding solutions and getting the job done could not be praised highly enough.'
  • 'Francis Booth is very user friendly and has great market knowledge.'

Key clients

  • HSBC
  • Ares Management
  • Macquarie
  • Intermediate Capital Group
  • Five Arrows
  • Ardian
  • Tikehau Investment Managers
  • Park Square Capital

Work highlights

  • Advising Ares Management as lender on the £790m financing for a consortium of the CareTech founders and Three Hills Capital Partners to acquire CareTech Holdings plc.
  • Advising AshGrove as lender in relation to term facilities provided to Zift in connection with its refinancing of existing indebtedness and advising in relation to the roll-through of the AshGrove facilities on the acquisition of Zift by Investcorp.
  • Advised Ares as new lender to Sykes Cottages group for the refinancing of existing facilities provided by Bridgepoint Credit (formerly EQT) and the acquisition of the Forest Holidays group .

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Penny Angell
Hall of fameHogan Lovells International LLP
Penny Angell is our UK Managing Partner. Her own practice focuses on acquisition and leveraged finance and other complex corporate debt arrangements. Never one to adopt a "one size fits all" mentality, Penny has continually adapted to changing market dynamics and debt structures and has consequently advised on a wide array of leverage financings, including senior, mezzanine, PIK and unitranche/super senior financing arrangements on acquisitions and other leveraged finance transactions, including take-privates, bids, leveraged recapitalisations, and domestic and cross-border leveraged buyouts. Her commercial, solutions-based approach means she is equally at home advising borrowers and lenders (both banks and debt funds). She also has particular experience in the highly regulated area of insurance company financings. Penny brings a wealth of experience derived from a career that spans several credit cycles, enabling her to provide clients with practical, commercial advice on the key issues in structuring and documenting debt finance transactions. This is underlined by Chambers UK 2020, which notes that clients describe working with Penny is as a "flawless experience," because "she is committed and dedicated as well as highly experienced in her field." In previous years, Penny received the Europe Women in Business Law "Best in Banking & Finance" award. In addition to her client practice, Penny sits on the Financial Law Committee of the City of London Law Society, a respected industry body comprised of representatives from leading London law firms.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Paul Mullen
Hogan Lovells International LLP
As well as leading the firm’s Global Banking practice, Paul Mullen acts for both lenders and borrowers at the top end of mid-market sponsor-backed financings, Paul has been particularly involved with the development of the direct lending market in Europe, advising lenders on unitranche and other types of direct lending products (including first loss/second loss, second lien, and PIK) as well as banks providing working capital and other facilities alongside the funds. Paul's extensive experience and deep understanding of the market means that clients often call on him when they need advice on developing new and innovative products. As the head of our market-leading direct lending practice, he has built strong relationships with a range of major global debt funds including Ares, Barings, Permira Debt Managers, CVC Credit, EQT, Five Arrows, and Hayfin as well as banks and sponsors.
Jo Robinson
Hogan Lovells International LLP
Banks, debt funds and borrowers turn to Jo when they need advice on a wide variety of financing structures such as senior, second lien and unitranche/super senior financing arrangements and PIK financings on acquisitions and other leveraged finance transactions. Jo is a young and dynamic partner in our banking team, where she focuses her practice on acquisition and leveraged finance transactions. Jo has been instrumental in developing our market-leading alternative lender practice and her close relationships with some of the very early debt funds in the UK market means she has been at the forefront of the development of the unitranche product, and indeed worked on one of the very first unitranche financings in the London market back in 2008. To deal with Jo is commercial, practical and user-friendly. In 2015, Jo was named in The Lawyer's 'Hot 100' list and in Financial News' '40 under 40 Rising Stars in Legal Services”.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Paul Mullen

Other key lawyers

Matthew Cottis, Penny Angell, Jo Robinson, Francis Booth, Scott Gibson