Banking

With over 1000 lawyers worldwide, we have one of the largest and most international teams of banking and finance lawyers of any global law firm.  Few practices can match our top tier position across the full range of finance products. 

We are at the heart of the world’s financial markets and have been instrumental in nearly all the major banking developments in the modern era. We count amongst our clients numerous global corporate and financial institutions that entrust us with the full range of domestic and cross-border transactions and rely on the depth and breadth of our expertise, intellectual rigour and proven track record of finding successful and commercially astute solutions.

Our banking practice is split into eight product lines: General Lending, Leveraged Finance, Investment Funds, Leveraged Finance, Project Finance, Real Estate Finance, Structured & Asset Finance, Financial Services Regulatory, and Restructuring.

Typically, a trainee will prepare information for counsel, draft documents and letters, liaise with clients, attend meetings and oversee completion matters and signings. The work is challenging but the banking department ethos is underpinned by team work and camaraderie.

Notable transactions our banking lawyers have worked on recently include advising:

• 12 banks arranging the financing for Global Infrastructure Partners’ successful GBP1.51bn bid for Gatwick Airport from Ferrovial subsidiary BAA.
• JPMorgan and the other bookrunners on a USD45bn loan facility supporting a bid for Potash Corp by the world’s largest mining company, BHP Billiton. Barclays on the first of its kind secured convertible equity bond issue arranged by Barcap and issued by Nigerian based company Sea Trucks Group. Lloyds Banking Group on the consensual restructuring of facilities totalling EUR1.2bn secured against three large industrial and retail pan-European real estate portfolios.
• Barclays on the first of its kind secured convertible equity bond issue arranged by Barcap and issued by Nigerian based company Sea Trucks Group.
• Lloyds Banking Group on the consensual restructuring of facilities totalling EUR1.2bn secured against three large industrial and retail pan-European estate portfolios.
• The senior arrangers, including Rabobank on the EUR210m financing provided to support EQT’s EUR210m acquisition of Netherlands-based Koole Group.
• The international lenders including IFC, Proparco, FMO, DEG, AFDB, EEIG and others in relation to the financing by O3b Networks Limited of the project to design, build, launch and operate an eight MEO satellite constellation for communications coverage over Africa. This won African Telecoms Deal of the Year 2010, Project Finance International 2011.

You can find more information about the Finance: Banking practice area on the main Allen & Overy website.