Latham & Watkins continues to invest in developing a strong bench across all of the areas of the securitisation market. The arrival of the CLO team from A&O Shearman in 2025, bringing across experienced partners Franz Ranero and James Smallwood, bolsters the practice. The group, led by global co-chair of structured finance Jeremiah Wagner, now boasts eight partners. Wagner recently handled a landmark £600m deal for Barclays that constituted the first public securitisation of data centres in EMEA. The ‘creative and solution-focused’ Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya is a key adviser to private equity sponsors, hedge funds, commercial and investment banks, and corporates on innovative capital raising and investment transactions. Thomas Cochran, who is ’client-friendly, thoughtful and is able to think outside the box’, is experienced in first-of-kind transactions, particularly esoteric structured product transactions. He recently assisted investment manager Ares on its strategic collaboration with ABN AMRO in relation to a €1.3bn loan portfolio. Steve Curtis frequently focuses on deals involving infrastructure, regulated utilities, commercial real estate, and operating assets.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is very knowledgeable and accessible. It covers a wide range of deals and is creative with problem-solving and advice.’
‘Sajev Warna-kula-suriya and Chris Armstrong make a really strong team. They are very accessible. They are both willing to be creative and solution-focused. Appreciate their collaborative approach to structuring.’
- 'Tom Cochran has been great for esoteric structured product transactions. He is client-friendly, thoughtful and is able to think outside the box.'
Key clients
- Ares Management
- Barclays
- Blackstone
- Carlyle
- Citigroup
- Deutsche Bank
- Intermediate Capital Group
- JP Morgan
- KKR Credit Advisors
- Lloyds Bank
Work highlights
Advised Barclays and SMBC on a landmark £600 million data center securitization for Vantage Data Centers. This was the first public securitization of data centers in EMEA.
Advised on a groundbreaking capital call facility structured as securitisation by Intermediate Capital Group.
Advised the arranger, JPMorgan Securities plc, on the successful launch of a new financial inclusion bond by responsAbility, the leading Swiss impact asset manager, in partnership with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
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.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Jeremiah Wagner
Other key lawyers
Franz Ranero; James Smallwood; Sanjev Warna–kula–suriya; Steve Curtis; Tom Cochran; Christopher Armstrong