Slaughter and May‘s practice is recognised for its ’strong business understanding’ and its ability to support both UK and international clients across the full range of DCM products. These include regulatory and hybrid capital, liability management, EMTN programmes and subsequent issuances, US private placements, and sustainability linked bonds. Team head Caroline Phillips is noted for her extensive work with financial institution issuers, advising on both new debt issuances and liability management transactions. The ‘technically excellent’ Ed Fife is a name to note in relation to highly structured leveraged lending transactions.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality

Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘They are stellar from the partners through to the junior associates, expert knowledge and sensible advice.’
‘I have worked with a number of people, they all work very hard and are committed to getting the best deal for the client in the time available. Matthew Tobin has supported me in the last three DCM deals we have done. He is always patient and available when we need him.'
‘Strong business understanding in combination with very high legal skills.'
‘I have worked with Slaughter & May for nearly 20 years across different companies, both in the DCM and bank markets. I have always found them to be knowledgeable, approachable and calm under pressure. They give good advice and are able to share trends they see in the market as well as advising on specific issues.'
‘Ed Fife is technically excellent and maintained good humour throughout some very challenging circumstances. Ed has a very assuring, calm demeanour that instils pragmatism and ensures that his team and the broader transaction team focus on the important issues.'
‘The team has a strong business understanding and a great sense of all legal processes.'
‘The team displayed incredible teamship throughout the transaction. The team showed a deep knowledge of our business and its drivers and was therefore able to provide advice that was not only technically excellent, but also contextual. The Slaughters team was proactive, seeing issues before they arose and flagging them, both in terms of the legal issues that would arise, and also broader market dynamics.'

Key clients

Schroders plc
International Workplace Group plc (IWG)
International Personal Finance plc
Standard Chartered plc
Dignity Group (Dignity plc)
United Utilities Group plc
Agricultural Bank of China Limited
Brit Limited (Brit PLC)
Drax Group plc
ITV plc

Work highlights

Advised Hammerson Plc on the establishment of a new GBP 5 billion EMTN programme, an inaugural GBP 400 million issuance from that programme and an accompanying tender offer for multiple existing series of notes.

Advised International Personal Finance plc, the ultimate parent company of an international group providing retail financial services to the financially underserved, on the update of its dual-listed EU/UK wholesale and UK retail EUR 1 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme and, subsequently, a new issuance of EUR 341 million fixed rate notes due 2029 combined with a tender offer made to holders of IPF’s existing EUR 341 million notes due 2025.

Advised Standard Chartered PLC (SC) in relation to Part 8 proceedings in the Financial Markets Test Case Scheme on the use of an alternative benchmark rate to three-month US dollar LIBOR to calculate the dividends payable on a series of preference shares issued by SC in 2006.