Sidley Austin LLP
The DCM team at Sidley Austin LLP is ‘very focused in understanding the overall business of the client and it offers services based on their general understanding of their needs’. The practice is ‘always thoughtful and arguably one of the most personable firms in the legal world’. David Howe, who leads the English law practice in London, frequently acts leading European corporate and bank issuers, such as GlaxoSmithKline and Bank of Cyprus. His recent work for GSK includes the offering of notes with a combined value in excess of £3.5bn. US partner Alan Grinceri also plays a pivotal role in the practice, particularly following the retirement of London head of US law Mark Walsh at the end of 2022. Nigel Wilson (who is ‘always in the detail’) is dual-qualified in US and English law, and he handles both investment and non-investment grade debt as part of a broad capital markets practice. Counsel Omar Shafi also play pivotal roles in DCM deals.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Always thoughtful and arguably one of the most personable firm/individuals I come across in the legal world. Excellent global connectivity, particularly between US and Europe.’
‘Nigel Wilson one of my go-to lawyers, always in the detail, leverages the firms full capabilities.’
‘Sidley is very unique in the sense that it builds strong and long-lasting relations with the clients. Sidley team is very focused in understanding the overall business of the client and it offers services based on their general understanding of their clientele needs.’
‘David Howe, the partner responsible for the company I work for, is very well informed about our operations overall and provides unique solutions to accommodate our needs. The Sidley team is overall very easy to reach, and they provide very clear analysis of the legal matters under their review.’
Key clients
- Barclays Asia Capital Limited, BNP Paribas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Société Générale
- GSK plc, GlaxoSmithKline Capital plc and GSK Capital B.V.
- Haleon plc
- Merrill Lynch International, Mizuho International plc, SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited, Société Générale, Bank of China, HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities
- UBS AG
- DBS Bank Ltd., Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, Standard Chartered Bank, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Singapore Branch, United Overseas Bank Limited and Westpac Banking Corporation
- Bank of Cyprus Public Limited Company
- GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK)
- Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
- Worley Group
- J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
- BMO Capital Markets Corp.
Work highlights
- Represented GSK on the establishment of US$1.4 billion and £1 billion syndicated revolving credit facilities and the issuance of c £3.5 billion of notes in sterling and euro.
- Represented the underwriters in connection with a €500 million SEC-registered offering by Smith & Nephew plc, a leading London- and NYSE-listed portfolio medical technology company headquartered in the UK.
- Acted for the Joint Lead Managers in connection with Westpac Banking Corporation’s September 2022 issue of S$450,000,000 Fixed Rate Reset Subordinated Instruments due 2032 issued under Westpac Banking Corporation’s US$70 billion Euro Medium Term Note Programme.
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
David Howe