Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

The firm: Established in New York in 1792, Cadwalader is a trusted advisor to many of the world’s leading financial institutions, corporations and investment funds, with more than 225 years of experience crafting innovative solutions for our clients’ most complex legal issues.

Main areas of practice
Capital markets: The team is widely recognised as a premier global legal advisor and innovator in securitisation and structured finance. It represents investment banks, issuers, funds and private equity sponsors in structuring and executing transactions across a broad array of structured products and assets, including ABS, CLOs, CMBS, CRE CLOs, ILS, RMBS, structured workout financings and whole sale loans.

Corporate: Cadwalader  represents companies, financial institutions, private equity firms and other investors across the full spectrum of complex negotiated and hostile corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures and spinoffs, as well as public and private debt and equity securities offerings, both shareholder activism and takeover preparedness, and related corporate governance and securities law matters.

Financial restructuring: Cadwalader regularly represents debtors, secured and unsecured lenders, bondholders, creditors’ committees, borrowers, asset purchasers and other distressed entities. It also has broad capabilities in transactions, litigation and structuring deals to preserve and enhance value.

Financial services: The firm counsels clients on statutory and regulatory requirements, including those governing broker-dealers, securities and futures exchanges, banks, investment advisers and funds. It advises hedge funds and asset managers on structuring funds and raising capital. It also represents issuers, dealers and end-users on complex derivatives and structured products transactions.

Fund finance: Cadwalader’s market-leading practitioners regularly representing the agents, lead arrangers and lenders on different investment facilities, such as subscription credit and capital call, NAV-based, hybrid, open-end fund, HNW, aftercare and umbrella, to real estate, private equity and other investment funds.

International arbitration: The London team represents clients in UK and cross-border international arbitration, including arbitrations under ICC, LCIA, SIAC, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules, primarily focusing on the financial services, technology, telecoms and energy sectors. The team is noted particularly for managing large, complex cases, including cross-border disputes involving jurisdictional, procedural and enforcement complexity.

International dispute resolution: Our London-based dispute resolution team has extensive experience in litigation, arbitration, antitrust, risk management and regulatory investigations. They offer advice and services to clients, including international corporations, financial institutions, investment firms and individuals in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and further afield.

Leveraged finance & private credit: Cadwalader's market-leading leveraged finance & private credit team advises lenders and borrowers on a wide variety of cross-border financing transactions across the capital structure.

Litigation: Cadwalader’s full-service, transatlantic litigation team handles all aspects of dispute resolution, including negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Its trial practice helps clients successfully navigate enterprise-threatening litigation with confidence. It protects and defends our clients in a broad range of strategic areas, including antitrust, corporate and financial services litigation and regulation, and intellectual property.

Real estate finance: The firm’s premier real estate finance team represents financial institutions and investors in the origination of securitized and balance sheet mortgage and mezzanine loans, syndicated loans and construction loans secured by virtually all property types, including hotel, office, retail, healthcare, multi-family and industrial properties, ranging from single, trophy assets to multi-asset, multi-state and whole-company transactions, as well as the sale of mortgage and mezzanine loans in the secondary market, co-lender and intercreditor agreements, servicing and loan workouts, and restructurings.

Tax: Cadwalader’s tax practice pioneers innovative tax structures that drive complex deals, advising on the taxation aspects of structuring domestic and cross-border corporate and financing transactions, including securitisations, hybrid capital issuances, repackagings, credit-linked instruments, stock lending arrangements and a variety of financial products.

White-collar defense and investigations: Cadwalader’s London white-collar and defense team is known for focusing on the defence of serious fraud and criminal matters and has been involved in prosecutions brought by the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Reporting Council. These cases are often complex, high profile and international in nature. The team conducts internal investigations for corporates, regulators and other entities and advises companies and their directors on governance issues. They have extensive experience in respect of benchmarking investigations and prosecutions, cross-border share trades and withholding tax investigations.