Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Client SatisfactionCleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has 'a strong team with excellent technical knowledge and grasp of market practice'. The London DCM team focuses on complex cross-border capital markets transactions, often for financial institutions as both underwriters and issuers. Practice head Sebastian Sperber is sought after for his skills in SEC-registered debt offerings, Rule 144A/Reg S private placements, tender offers, exchange offers and consent solicitations and offerings of convertible and exchangeable bonds. He recently assisted a major international bank with its $1.25bn offering of fixed rate notes. Up-and-coming partners Chrishan Raja and Sarah Lewis are adept in transaction with a UK, European and US nexus. David Gottlieb and Jim Ho are active advisers to sovereign issuers, and their recent work included a €13bn offering for the Hellenic Republic.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'A strong team with excellent technical knowledge and grasp of market practice.'
'David Gottlieb - highly intelligent, with deep technical knowledge and a friendly demeanour.'
'The Cleary capital markets team have been great in giving advice to our business. Partners are always poised to help with any questions we might have in a timely and efficient manner, which is greatly appreciated. The team consistently delivers great service in transactional work and are also pleasant to work with. Cleary have often been asked to advise in very relevant matters, and go above and beyond what external counsel is usually expected.'
'The team is talented and diverse, which brings several different qualities. David Gottlieb and Sarah Lewis always bring valued insight in what peers have been doing and show deep knowledge of capital markets practice and rules. Alexandre Pauwels has also been a great support to us on an ongoing basis.'
‘Cleary has an exceptionally strong female-led team. Sarah Lewis and Annie Cowell are best in class. The team is one of the strongest I've worked with.’
‘They offer significant expertise, have excellent communication skills, and are quick to offer useful context and solutions. From macro points to attention to detail, I have high confidence in their abilities.'
‘Effective individuals who have strong knowledge and practical experience in US capital markets. They have been incredibly professional and helpful in all of the interactions.’
'Great technical detail and diligence, combined with practical business outcomes.'
Key clients
- Credit Suisse
- Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK)
- Barclays PLC
- Republic of Armenia
- Santander UK Group Holdings
- Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA)
- The Hellenic Republic (Greece)
- HSBC
- Crédit Agricole S.A
- Citigroup Global Markets Limited, J.P. Morgan Securities plc, Jefferies LLC and UBS AG London Branch
Work highlights
- Advised Credit Suisse AG (now part of UBS) in its SEC-registered offering of USD 1.25 billion 7.95% fixed-rate senior notes due 2025 and USD 2.5 billion 7.5% fixed-rate senior notes due 2028.
- Advised all of Greece’s Eurobond issuances in 2023, in excess of €13 billion and assisted Greece in the achievement of investment grade status.
- Advised Barclays PLC and Barclays Bank PLC, as designated U.S. securities and disclosure counsel in all of its U.S. registered AT1, Tier 2, and MREL/TLAC notes offerings since 2019.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sebastian Sperber