With a core restructuring team led from London by the 'super-smart' Sarah Smith and Priyanka Usmani, and also able to harness the support of global restructuring, finance and M&A practitioners spread across the network, Baker McKenzie is well-positioned to advise debtors, creditors and investors across a range of cross-border restructuring/insolvency mandates. This fluid approach ensures the team is particularly effective on more transactional work in the space, with the arrival of 'first-rate' of counsel William Swan from Citibank in June 2023 enhancing its ability to handle distressed investment work in particular.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Will Swan is a first-rate adviser.'
'Sarah Smith brings absolute quality to everything she does – she is a pleasure to work with and super smart.'
Key clients
- David Soden and James Bennett in their capacity as joint special administrators of IBP Markets Limited (in special administration)
- (1) eMed, LLC; (2) eMed Health Care UK, Limited
- Privitar Limited
- (1) Land O' Lakes, Inc.; (2) PMI Nutrition International, LLC
- (1) CHR-Hansen and Lonza; (2) Bacthera AG
- Global Loan and Agency Services (GLAS)
Work highlights
- Advised GLAS, in its various roles as agent and security agent, across different parts of the capital structure, in relation to the financial restructuring of the multinational retail holding company Steinhoff International Holdings N.V., and its subsidiaries (together, the Steinhoff Group), implemented by a Dutch WHOA (Wet Homologatie Onderhands Akkoord) restructuring plan.
- Advised eMed Health Care UK, Ltd (a subsidiary of eMed, LLC), a US-based digital health company, on the acquisition of the business and certain key assets of Babylon Group Holdings Ltd (in administration) and Babylon Partners Ltd (in administration), including the shares in Babylon Healthcare Services Ltd via a pre-packaged administration sale in late August 2023.
- Advised Privitar Ltd, a UK-based data management access and privacy software provider that aims to provide organisations with the capability to democratise the ethical and safe use of data across enterprises, on various refinancing and sale transaction options (including a sale of its shares by its key investors), strategic corporate issues and directors' duties issues amid solvency concerns.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sarah Smith, Priyanka Usmani