England - London • Real estate
Clifford Chance LLP
Highlighted for its ‘depth of the market knowledge, commercial acumen and wide range of experience’ Clifford Chance LLP’s multifaceted team includes ‘very experienced lawyer’ Andrew Carnegie and practice head Barry O’Shea, ’a firm favourite across the industry’, both of whom participate in complex cross border financings across Europe, loan portfolio sales, and restructurings. Emma Matebalavu ‘has tremendous market knowledge’ in loan origination for senior and mezzanine lenders. Laura Smallcombe and Claire Fawcett continue to be active in development finance and acquisition finance across a range of asset classes. For repo financings and CRE CLO, Will Sutton and director Dmytro Orendarets, who focuses on financings in sectors in the residential, student housing, offices and logistics sectors, are recommended.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Great practice and European reach.’
‘Laura Smallcombe - really coming through. Smart, ambitious and technically excellent. Andrew Carnegie - one of the most experienced partners around. Good at advising on the big calls.’
‘The depth of the market knowledge, commercial acumen and wide range of experiences in the partner team make this team unique. The team has a broad network of local offices and partner firms across Europe, which is critical in getting complex pan-European deals done.’
‘Barry O'Shea has an excellent commercial outlook and advises his client taking into account risks while also viewing things through a commercial lens. He is always solution oriented and easy to work with - which both sponsors and sponsor counsel always appreciate. He is very organised and ensures his team are always leading the transaction and guiding it towards a sensible close. He is highly regarded by everyone in the market and is a firm favourite across the industry.'
- 'Andrew Carnegie is a very experienced lawyer who is good at advising clients and structuring solutions. You know when you go to him, it is a one-stop shop, and he will coordinate with all teams to ensure the client has the optimum solution throughout the whole transaction. His many years of industry experience make him an asset.'
- 'Laura Smallcombe is an amazing lawyer, highly attuned to her clients goals. She is super smart, with an excellent understanding of risk. She is a great problem solver and is highly organised.’
‘The team is what you would expect from a Magic Circle firm, skilled and with a solid bench of talent.’
‘Emma Matebalavu is a fantastic lawyer; she is technically proficient, dynamic and has tremendous market knowledge. She'll be running Clifford Chance globally, soon.’
Key clients
- Bank of America
- Apollo
- Deutsche Bank
- Goldman Sachs
- Morgan Stanley
- Blackstone
- Wells Fargo
- JP Morgan
- Fortress Investment Group
- Davidson Kempner
- Rothesay Life
- Ares
- Corebridge
- Cale Street
- PIMCO
- Bentall GreenOak
- Royal Bank of Canada
- EQT Exeter
Work highlights
- Advised Bank of America as the Arranger and Original Lender on a £1.2 billion Green Loan in respect of the refinancing of 22 Bishopsgate, London, a prime real estate asset in the City of London, as well as providing assistance in respect of the primary syndication of the loan.
- Advised Rothesay Life PLC on providing a 10-year senior term loan to Lendlease for the acquisition of 21 Moorfields for £809 million. 21 Moorfields is a 568,500 sq ft premium office development in the City of London.
- Advised Davidson Kempner on the financing of their c. €850 million acquisition of two private equity funds and their Portuguese management company (ECS), which has more than €1 billion in assets under management. The target portfolio includes multiple hotels, golf courses, land and residential properties, amongst other assets.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
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Rising stars
Leading individuals
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Barry O'Shea