Simon Raftopoulos
Partner
Appleby
More informationAppleby has a leading role in the market, and is regularly sought by blue-chip underwriters for its expertise in SPACs, CLOs and lender-side fund financing deals. Coordinating between offices in Cayman, Bermuda and Jersey, the group houses a robust team that includes structured finance lead Benjamin Woolf and head of banking and asset finance Caroline Barton, who specialises in aircraft and vessel financing. Simon Raftopoulos leads the local corporate practice and is a member of the corporate finance and private equity teams, and Jacob MacAdam has expertise in regulatory work. Senior associate Tamanna Keir has extensive experience on leveraged financing, securities lending transactions, and cross-border M&A, while Georgina Pullinger is also highly recommended for fund and corporate finance work.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'The team was very commercial and good to work with. They understood the complexities of the deal, and what was required from a Cayman perspective.'
'My go-to firm on a large volume of CLOs and other Cayman-specific work.'
'Ben Woolf - ALWAYS responsive and gets deals done. Very practical.'
Key clients
- Natixis, New York Branch
- Bear Mountain Park CLO, Ltd.
- Morgan Stanley Eaton Vance CLO 2022-18, Ltd.
- Madison Park Funding LV, Ltd.
- WESTERN ALLIANCE BANK
- FIRST REPUBLIC BANK
- Guatemala Power Enterprises Ltd.
- BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
- INVESTEC BANK PLC
- PNC Bank, National Association
- Société Générale
- JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
- Royal Bank of Canada
- Trane Technologies plc
- Various lenders to GTT Communications Inc.
- Höegh LNG Ltd
- Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd.
- BlueOrchard Impact Investment Managers
Work highlights
- Acted for Natixis, New York Branch (as lender), in relation to a credit facility with a large US private equity investment company with around $60bn under management and a strategy of business acquisition and enhancement (as borrower).
- Acted as Cayman counsel to the issuer, Morgan Stanley Eaton Vance CLO 2022-18, Ltd. on a $394.8m CLO issuance transaction.
- Provided Cayman legal advice to Höegh LNG on a new ten-year $685m loan to refinance the two floating storage and regasification units provided by leading international banks.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Benjamin Woolf
Partner
Caroline Barton
Partner
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Georgina Pullinger
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Simon Raftopoulos