Noted for its strong foothold in Africa, India, and the Middle East, Dentons' practice is highlighted for its strengths in capital markets, M&A, and infrastructure cases. David Cohen is a key port of call for corporate trustees, and Nick Hayday is often engaged in private placements. Cameron Half is knowledgeable of financial closure considerations, Dominic Spacie and Colm Ó hUiginn handle infrastructure projects, and Stephen Temple is well-versed in aircraft financings. James Ingham assists borrowers as part of his workload, Ian Clements is experienced in trade finance transactions, and Joe Byron Evans is highly regarded in the real estate finance sector. James Francis was promoted to partner in May 2025, while Lee McLernon and Claire Hunter are also key team members.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- Lawyers are smart and pragmatic. Billing is good value for money.
- Strengths: - Ability to adapt to different requirements and facility structure changes quickly - Fully available - Quick turnaround time
- The Dentons team was fully available and extremely helpful - they helped us navigate a complex transaction with ease.
- We work closely with James Francis, Louise Dufour, and Kelly Pua. They are indeed the dream team and deliver work at the highest level. They are increasingly becoming my go-to team for any legal work.
- Good communication regarding timelines to manage expectations for all parties. Very knowledgeable and approachable team members at all levels.
- Dentons' Emerging Markets practice has been a trusted partner for us across several structured finance and cross-border transactions. What sets the team apart is their ability to combine deep technical knowledge with a pragmatic, commercial approach. They are highly responsive, collaborative, and consistently deliver advice that is both legally rigorous and practical for execution. We regularly rely on their services for complex financing matters, and their ability to navigate multi-jurisdictional issues and their familiarity with emerging market nuances has been invaluable.
Key clients
- Standard Chartered Bank
- HSBC Bank
- airBaltic
- ING Bank N.V
- CPI Property Group
- Société Générale
- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
- Silk Road Group Holding LLC
- Oman Electricity Transmission Company SAOC
- Türkiye Şişe ve Cam Fabrikaları A.Ş
- Mizuho Bank
- Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Work highlights
Advising the lenders providing multi sourced financing to a consortium of Sumitomo Corporation, Shikoku Electric Power Company Inc, Korea Southern Power Company, and Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation on their winning bid to develop and finance Qatar's US$3.7 billion Facility E independent water and power project in Ras Abu Fontas.
Advising an issuer on its inaugural issuance of US$400 million 7.500% guaranteed high-yield notes due 2030 and concurrent tender offer for Silknet’s 2027 notes.
Advising the mezzanine investors on Sun King's US$156 million solar securitisation.
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.
Colm Ó hUiginn
James Ingham
Practice head
Nick Hayday
Other key lawyers
David Cohen; Cameron Half; Dominic Spacie; Colm Ó hUiginn; Stephen Temple; James Ingham; Ian Clements; Joe Byron Evans; James Francis; Lee McLernon; Claire Hunter: Grace Stobbart: Alice Threadgold