Simmons & Simmons
Since the inception of the practice in 2022, Simmons & Simmons advises a growing base of lenders and borrowers on a wide variety of debt finance transactions, handling acquisition and trade financings in addition to advising on securitisation transactions. Under the leadership of experienced acquisition finance expert Eric Blomme, the team is capable of assisting with complex financing structures, including mezzanine facilities, and also stands out for its cross-border work. Securitisation expert Martin Carlier and leveraged finance specialist Cécile Odeurs are further key contacts.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team is knowledgeable, synchronised and accommodating, everyone was on the same page and delivered the same message. The team was proactive and was able to handle difficult situations. When the counterparty was slow and not as proactive, the team managed to lead and close the negotiations on our terms.’
‘Eric Blomme was extremely knowledgeable, he was able to handle difficult negotiating points on the spot, he understood our view and what we were trying to achieve very fast and worked hard to get us to that point. Martin Carlier was also very knowledgeable and interacted well with the team, his input was productive and positive. Both Eric and Martin were able to think outside the box and provide us with creative solutions to address our points.’
‘Eric Blomme is easily accessible, very experienced and pragmatic. Excellent listening skills and provide advices in order to facilitate the dealmaking and taking into account his client's interests.’
‘A highly committed and competent team. Responsiveness to specific client requests is excellent.’
‘As a foreign company, we always felt that Eric Blomme and Cécile Odeurs provide an excellent insight in the speciality of Belgian company law and potential differences to our domestic laws. They guided us smoothly through a credit facility and security documentation, the form of which had been so far unknown to us.’
‘Always available and answered in time. Also very cooperative with opponents to find solutions rather than show problems. For financial advisory we want to mention Eric Bloome and Cecile Odeurs, who represented us throughout the financing process with our banking partner.’
‘Simmons & Simmons LLP has long been recognized for its commitment to excellence and expertise in regulatory finance. In this respect, we would like to highlight the precious contributions of Martin Carlier. Martin has a profound knowledge of financial regulations and a commendable dedication to client success. He always looks for a pragmatic approach to solve complex challenge and we particularly appreciate his accessibility.’
‘Martin Carlier’s work in the Belgian practice of Simmons & Simmons has been impressive, particularly in relation to regulatory finance and fund related advice. Martin has a deep understanding of cross-border regulatory finance issues and ensure meticulous attention to detail. Furthermore, Martin’s expertise in transactional banking is noteworthy, allowing clients to approach complex transactions with confidence.’
Key clients
- ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
- Allianz SE
- Atlas Capital Markets
- Barclays PLC
- Deutsche Bank AG
- Eni Finance International
- Euroclear SA/NV
- ING Belgium SA/NV
- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
- Monument Assurance Belgium
- Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc.
- The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
- Traxys
- UBS Switzerland AG and affiliates
Work highlights
- Advised commodities trader Traxys as lead counsel on the extension of $1.57bn flagship multicurrency syndicated borrowing base credit facilities.
- Advised Atlas Special Opportunities LLC as subscriber in connection with a €20m subscription agreement in respect of convertible bonds issued by Oxurion NV, a listed Belgian biotech company.
- Advised the mezzanine lender on the refinancing of the Manhattan office building, located in Brussels.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Eric Blomme