Drawing upon ‘great bench strength’ in London, and also regularly working alongside lawyers throughout the firm’s extensive international network, A&O Shearman provides a ‘balanced approach’ for creditors and debtors seeking or deploying capital to fund M&A throughout Europe. As well as providing the funding on strategic acquisitions for financial sponsor clients, the team has also been very active on repricings to take advantage of relatively benign market conditions, as well as on some dividend recapitalisations. Neil Sinha, Robin Harvey and Nick Hallam have been crucial to this work, with all three extremely well-versed at handling transactions utilising financing products throughout the capital structure. On the lender side, the team continues to excel at large-cap syndicated financings for its loyal investment bank client base, as well as handling some work for private credit funds. Shameer Shah is key to the firm’s alternative lending work, as is Denise Gibson, with both also handling some traditional bank-side work as well. Nicholas Clark and Jane Glancy, who co-head the team alongside Harvey and Gibson, both have a balanced lender and borrower offering, with Clark’s work extending to M&A financings for public companies. Other key practitioners include Matt Moore, who excels at advising lenders on leveraged finance and structured growth market transactions; Annette Kurdian, who advises lenders in the crossover of leveraged and infrastructure finance; and Robert Burt, who is skilled at advising creditors on sponsor-backed acquisition finance deals.

Led from London by the ‘commercial and experienced’ David Robson and also able to draw upon the firm’s wider international resources, Clifford Chance LLP remains well positioned to handle complex multi-jurisdictional leveraged and corporate finance mandates for a balanced mix of creditors and debtors. On the lender side, as well as continuing to develop its credit fund offering –  which provides vital liquidity for borrowers seeking to access deals in the mid to upper-mid-market – the team’s longstanding investment bank connections have also provided an increased flow of work, as the broadly syndicated lending and high yield markets have recently experienced a resurgence. Swedish and UK-qualified practitioner Peter Dahlen is adept at advising on deals tapping into the institutional term loan B (TLB) market as well as on private credit deals, and has a particular focus on handling deals in the Nordic region. With a practice that spans a myriad of financial products, Emma Folds‘s eclectic offering includes financings to facilitate corporate-led and infrastructure deals, as well as core private equity-backed leveraged transactions. For borrower work, Nick Kinnersley has good traction among sponsors, as does up-and-coming partner Neil Cavanagh, with Kinnersley also excelling in work for corporates, including in the context of public bid financings. Katherine Sinclair is a key member of the team in light of her strong and growing private credit credentials, and Julia House is highly active in the infrastructure sector.

Deliberately and determinedly focused on borrower-side mandates, Kirkland & Ellis International LLP remains a tour-de-force for many of the world’s largest financial sponsors seeking to execute high value and often very complex leveraged finance deals. Stephen Lucas and Ian Barratt, who joined the firm at the end of 2023 from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, are two of the most experienced practitioners in the market and continue to drive growth in the practice, both on new money and refinancing deals. As well as his vibrant fee-earning practice, Chris Shield has also recently taken on increased management commitments within the team, a reflection of his market profile. New York and UK-qualified partner Evgeny Zborovsky excels in incorporating US terms in the European market and is consequently a very popular choice for clients seeking to exact the most flexibility across both big-ticket and mid-market deals. Daniel Borg, Kirsteen Nicol, Sinead O’Shea and Vanessa Xu are also key members of the team.

Latham & Watkins is widely recognised for the strength of its partner bench and deep institutional knowledge. The vastly experienced  Jonathan Brownson and Joydeep Choudhuri, who joined in June 2024 from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, have hit the ground running with both completing a number of high-profile lender mandates, showing their worth on complex deals spanning the capital spectrum. Brownson and Choudhuri’s arrival bolsters an already strong lending offering that includes a raft of investment banks which continue to instruct the firm on many of their highest-profile bank and bond transactions. Choudhuri, in particular, also enhances the firm’s credit fund credentials which continues to forge a strong furrow in the market on conventional as well as hybrid capital deals for private equity clients seeking leverage on mid to upper-mid market M&A deals. Ross Pooley and Manoj Bhundia are also very adept at structuring transactions utilising private capital. Team head Dan Maze, who works with a number of investment banks, and Fergus Wheeler, a key contact for various private creditors, advise across a myriad of major transactions. Dominic Newcomb has forged strong relationships with financial sponsors, including core client EQT, and – alongside Charles Armstrong, who also advises on private equity-led refinancings, new money deals, and matters for corporate borrowers – is a principal contact for debtor-side work

Drawing upon strong ties with a balanced roster of lenders and borrowers, Linklaters LLP has excellent insight into the commercial drivers on both sides of a transaction. Led from London by Oliver Sceales and enhanced by an extensive network of lawyers in key global financial centres, the team is comfortable handling large-cap cross-border syndicated TLB and high-yield transactions. The vastly experienced Nick Syson maintains very strong connections with leading underwriting banks on large-cap transactions, including his recent work on high-profile public bid financings. Drawing upon strong banking and credit fund connections, Pathik Gandhi is regularly engaged in sponsor-backed leveraged finance transactions, including recently advising on the refinancing of private debt in the public markets as the broadly syndicated markets have reopened. On the borrower front, Tom Waller is very adept at advising across the full range of financial products, including within the syndicated loans and private credit markets.

Under the shrewd leadership of Suhrud Mehta, Milbank has positioned itself at the pinnacle of the acquisition finance market for a blue riband roster of investment banks and credit funds which are appreciative of the team’s ability to navigate complex structures particularly within the large cap and upper mid-market. Taking the lead on her own as well as alongside Mehta, Alexandra Grant has deep market penetration on large cross-border leveraged new money deals as well as on portfolio refinancings. At a slightly more junior level, Laura Bonamis and Sarbajeet Nag also continue to impress, while the arrival in February 2025 of Katie Hicks  and Jonathan Toffolo  from White & Case LLP gives the team a specialised infrastructure finance offering.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP‘s acquisition finance team has rapidly gained traction among a financial sponsor-focused client base that is appreciative of its ‘front-of-market best advice and flawless execution’. As well as leveraging the blue riband roster of clients co-heads Neel Sachdev and Taner Hassan were able to bring with them from their previous firms (including HIG Capital, Warburg Pincus and Oakley) the team has also successfully built out existing institutional firmwide relationships, including for Apollo and KPS Capital Partners, which are now able to receive UK law advice. As well as picking up work at the top-end of the market, often running dual processes within the TLB and private credit markets, the team is also active on more mid-market adjacent deals, including those involving hybrid debt products. Other key lawyers include the ‘superb’ Kanesh Balasubramaniam, whose ‘commercial acumen is simply the best out there’; Stefan Arnold-Soulby, who has a particular focus on public to private transactions; and New York-law qualified partner David Carmona, a longstanding lawyer in the firm’s London office.

Recently enhanced following some notable hires at the beginning of 2025, including Simon Caridia from White & Case LLP and Nicola Noël from PSP Investments, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP has the strength-in-depth and expertise to handle a wide range of leveraged finance transactions utilising financial products across the credit spectrum. Tom Richards and Chris McLaughlin, who co-head the team, have been pivotal to securing and nurturing these robust financial sponsor ties, with both remaining active on new money deals as well as handling a considerable amount of refinancing work for existing portfolio companies. On the lender front, under the guidance of Alastair McVeigh the team has been particularly effective at gaining a foothold in the private credit space, a segment of the practice which will also benefit from new hire Noel’s aptitude in the sector, having herself established the European credit legal team at PSP Investments.

Magic Circle heavyweight Freshfields is well-versed at advising a private equity sponsor-focused client base on their financing needs, utilising financial products throughout the capital structure, from large-cap TLB and unitranche solutions to holdco PIK notes and bespoke preferred-equity instruments. Alex Mitchell and the ‘technical and commercial’ Aled Batey  co-head the team, with both excelling in handling deals throughout Europe, including for core clients Cinven and CVC. Carol Van der Vorst is also a key member of the team for sponsors on large and mid-cap transactions, providing added insight from her previous role as Managing Director in the leverage finance execution team at Goldman Sachs.

Increasingly well-positioned to advise across a tremendous range and volume of sponsor-backed deals, in part due to some strategic hires – the most recent of which was the arrival of Reena Gogna from Weil, Gotshal & Manges (London) LLP – Paul Hastings LLP is a very popular choice among both investment banks and credit funds. Closely aligned to the firm’s capital markets offering, not only is the team well-placed to advise on large-cap bank and bond financings but also on mid to upper-mid market fund-led deals, particularly where there is significant complexity involved. Recognised for their ‘deep expertise and commercial insight’, co-heads Mo Nurmohamed and Ross Anderson are both particularly skilled at advising on big-ticket cross-border syndicated bank lending, including placing debt in the US markets – where it is able to work closely with colleagues in New York, in particular. As well as regularly being involved in big-ticket sponsor-backed syndicated bank work, Rob Davidson and Karan Chopra are also steeped in the nuances of the alternative lending market, with Chopra, in particular, playing a key role in developing more traction among private credit funds in the mid to upper-mid market.

Traditionally very strong within the private credit space and now afforded greater bandwidth to include financings accessing the public markets, following Philip Bowden and Megan Lawrence‘s arrival from A&O Shearman in July 2024, Proskauer Rose LLP is an increasingly compelling proposition on deals stretching from the mid-market to large cap deals. Faisal Ramzan and the ‘highly commercial and pragmatic’ Alex Griffith have deep traction with many of the largest and most active credit funds in the market, including Ares and Alcentra, acting on new money deals and refinancings utilising senior, mezzanine, second lien and unitranche debt. Daniel Hendon and Harriet West are also very accomplished private credit practitioners, while for borrower work Barry Newman delivers ‘flawless strategic guidance and execution’ to private equity sponsors, including on financial services-related M&A. Bowden, Griffith and Ramzan co-head the team.

The arrival in October 2024 of a six-partner sponsor-focused finance team from Latham & Watkins has had a transformative effect on Sidley Austin LLP‘s leveraged finance team. Two of that group, Jay Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton, who now co-head the team, are clear market leaders, bringing a tremendous amount of market intel with them on large-cap financings throughout the capital structure. Both have generated strong loyalty from sponsor clients – Hamilton continues to advise on financings for Nordic Capital, while Sadanandan regularly acts for major sponsors such as Permira and Blackstone. The team also has a significant amount of younger talent, with Fergus O’Domhnaill; Tania Bedi, Ben Wright, and Joe Kimberling, all standing out ‘as accomplished next generation leaders’.

Bolstered by some recent strategic recruitment including Bryan Robson and Daniel Peach from Sidley Austin LLP and Linklaters respectively, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has made great strides strengthening its sponsor-focused practice. Both Robson and Peach are skilled at advising borrowers on innovative finance structures utilising debt throughout the capital structure and enhance a team that still maintains some strong institutional sponsors such as Apax and TDR Capital. New York law-qualified Nicholas Shaw and Shahpur Kabraji co-head the team, with Shaw particularly skilled at advising on high yield bond aspects of big ticket deals and Kabraji noted for his versatility across banking and private credit products, including in the context of take-private mandates.

Headed by Mark Edwards, Ashurst has established a very strong reputation in the mid to upper-mid market for lenders funding sponsor-backed acquisitions. Ross Ollerhead is highly active in the practice, including for core client BlackRock, with work running the gamut from new money M&A deals as well as more bespoke financings involving some distress. Helen Burton is also very skilled at handling private credit transactions, including unitranche structures, as is Laura Ho, who has developed a particularly strong reputation in relation to infrastructure deals. The firm also draws upon traditional banking relationships to solely fund deals, as well as increasingly alongside credit funds on club deals. Senior partner Nigel Ward has experience at handling both leveraged and infrastructure finance mandates.

With a UK law loans team mirroring the calibre of its New York law high-yield offering following a series of high-profile hires in 2023 and most recently in May 2025 after Chris Medley and Rohan Saha joined from Linklaters, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP now has the strength-in-depth and critical mass to handle a range of lender side mandates. As well as advising on the debt packages to facilitate a number of sponsor-backed deals for both investment banks and credit funds, the team, under the guidance of the vastly experienced Korey Fevzi, has also been lender counsel for a number of US corporates acquiring UK-listed companies – including for the underwriters/arrangers on American Axle’s $4.6bn financing package for the takeover of Dowlais Group plc. Philip Stopford led on the aforementioned deal and is a key contact within the team that also includes Jackson Lam, who has good connections among banks and credit funds, and Chantelle Dovey, who provides support in pan-European cross-border financings.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP‘s lender-focused practice has good traction among investment banks and credit funds ensuring that it picks up a significant flow of both large and mid-cap sponsor-backed leveraged finance deals. A strong selling point is the firm’s ability to advise on English and New York-law governed transactions utilising financing products throughout the capital structure, both on European and transatlantic deals. Luke McDougall has been key to the firm’s heightened profile in the market and since joining in July 2024 from Paul Hastings LLP has picked up some high-quality work, often in the role as designated lender counsel. Nick Benham heads up the team and as well as handling sponsor-backed leveraged finance deals, he also regularly advises on investment-grade acquisition financings, including in relation to public company takeovers.

Mirroring the firm’s overarching focus on the asset management sector, Dechert LLP‘s acquisition finance team is best-known for its work for fund clients engaged in leveraged finance transactions. Although it does handle some mandates for private equity sponsors, much of this work is for private credit funds where the team has established a particularly strong position as a result of its ability to advise on new money and refinancing transactions utilising debt across all levels of the capital structure. Key to the firm’s success in the area is the work of David Miles and Philip Butler, who have both been closely aligned to the development of the direct lending product since its inception in the European market. Both continue to pick up work for some longstanding and loyal clients, including Ares, which regularly instructs the firm on many of its European transactions.

Immersed in the private capital milieu, Macfarlanes LLP has excellent traction among credit funds as lenders and financial sponsors as borrowers, engaged in transactions within the mid to upper-mid-market leveraged finance space, in particular. ‘Very experienced’ team head Andrew Perkins has longstanding expertise advising on alternative credit, adding value to clients on both the deployment of capital for M&A transactions and refinancings, as well as in the context of raising debt for the funds themselves. The ‘responsive and solutions-focused’ Adam Caines, who was recently promoted partner, regularly supports Perkins on major mandates as well as successfully having cultivated his own impressive client base. On the borrower front, Kirstie Hutchinson has an outstanding reputation advising corporates across a range of debt financing matters, as well as regularly being engaged by private equity sponsors on LBO work and on refinancings/repricings. Malcolm Hitching also handles some sponsor-led work, as well as having niche expertise advising private credit funders in the litigation finance market.

Addleshaw Goddard has excellent insight into market norms within the mid-market leveraged finance space as a result of its consistent and balanced deal flow for creditors and debtors on M&A and refinancing transactions within the energy, transport, real estate, healthcare and financial services sectors. Team head Alex Dumphy exemplifies this versatility, being as comfortable advising banks on senior debt facilities as he is for private equity sponsors on private credit-backed deals. Ewen Scott is also very skilled at advising both lenders and borrowers, as well as having niche expertise acting for financial advisors on take-private mandates. The firm is also able to leverage its regional offices to good effect on domestic deals.

With a well-rounded client base that includes sponsors, corporates, and lenders, Baker McKenzie LLP has honed a deep understanding of key commercial drivers and prevailing market standards for both creditors and debtors. The team excels in handling high-value bank and bond financings, while also demonstrating expertise in private credit-funded transactions, and leveraging the firm’s vast international network to good effect on multi-jurisdictional mandates. Nick O’Grady has an excellent perspective for both lenders and borrowers, ensuring that he is well-placed to protect the interests of credit funds, banks as well as sponsors and their portfolio companies utilising a myriad finance structures, including European TLB, unitranche, bank/bond and Holdco PIKs. Matthew Cox co-heads the team alongside O’Grady and is best known for his financing work for private equity sponsors.

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP‘s ‘thoughtful and proactive’ lender-focused practice has continued to consolidate and grow its credit fund client base. As well as a steady stream of mid-market matters, the team, which is co-headed by the ‘approachable and highly responsive’ Matthew Smith and Smridhi Gulati, has gained some traction in the larger-cap space, adding value drawing upon additional leveraged finance strength from the US on transatlantic deals. Both Smith and Gulati are skilled at structuring transactions utilising debt throughout the capital structure, and as well as handling new money deals have both been busy of late advising on refinancings/repricings of leveraged assets. Bevis Metcalfe is the other main contact within the team and is particularly adept at implementing private credit solutions on hybrid capital deals.

With Alexander van der Gaag the latest addition to a compact but growing team following his recruitment from Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in May 2024, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is gaining market recognition not just among its loyal roster of large corporate clients and sovereign borrowers but also a growing cadre of private equity sponsors. Adopting a partner-led approach to work in the space, the team is best-suited to handle bespoke mandates involving multi-levels of debt through the capital structure. The ‘fantastic’ Ed Aldred exemplifies the team’s versatility, being as comfortable in the public markets on syndicated TLBs as he is structuring deals utilising private credit debt. Aldred and van der Gaag co-head the team alongside Jim Ho.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP regularly advises major corporates, including within the heavily regulated insurance sector, and private equity sponsors, across the full swathe of their finance requirements including to fund M&A transactions. Alan Davies, one of many in the team that also has fund-level financing expertise, recently advised core firmwide financial sponsor client Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on its high-profile proposed acquisition of a controlling stake in Opella, the French-headquartered consumer healthcare company. Pierre Maugüé was also involved in the aforementioned matter, adding value to clients seeking to access liquidity through his combined English and New York law capabilities. Thomas Smith and recently promoted partner Almas Daud co-head the team alongside Maugüé and Davies.

Although it handles some lender work, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has gained most traction among borrowers which are appreciative of the firm’s deep knowledge of financing products as well as its ability to effectively collaborate with other complementary practice areas and international offices, particularly in the US. Solely focused on servicing financial sponsor clients, the ‘unflappable’ Chris Barron is very well-versed on current market trends, and is able to elicit often very favourable terms for funds unencumbered as he is by lender ties. Neil Caddy is also skilled at handling borrower work for funds and corporates, providing value on new money financings, repricings, as well as on hybrid capital mandates. Jons Lehmann heads the European finance team from London, and as part of his versatile offering handles some leveraged finance mandates, including public-to-private transactions.

Goodwin is a reliable choice for private equity firms operating in the European mid-market and the growth equity sectors, adding particular value on transactions within areas of sector focus for the firm as a whole, including healthcare, tech and financial services. As well as working alongside the firm’s corporate group to provide the debt financing of M&A deals they are handling, the team, which is led by Simon Fulbrook, has also been active of late handling a number of refinancings. Fulbrook is adept at advising on debt financing throughout the capital spectrum and is a key contact, as is Richard Hughes, who is gaining increased market recognition.

Acting on its own as well as being able to draw upon resources from Europe and the US on multi-jurisdictional mandates, the ‘responsive and commercially minded’ team at Mayer Brown International LLP advises a sponsor-focused client base on mid-market transactions utilising debt products throughout the capital stack. ‘One of the most experienced lawyers in the market’, team head Stuart Brinkworth is pivotal to much of this work, as well as being active on some lender mandates for private credit funds, including in the context of unitranche products. Andy Kolacki is also active for credit funds as lenders, as well as continuing to handle a considerable volume of work for private equity sponsors on mid-market deals. ‘Technically excellent’ senior associate Bridget Polkinghorne is also recommended.

McDermott Will & Schulte is well-versed at advising lenders and borrowers on cross-border leveraged and corporate loan debt products, including navigating the nuances of US market requirements when financing European transactions. ‘Pragmatic and incredibly responsive’ team head Aymen Mahmoud has strong connections with clients in the fund community, regularly acting for private equity firms seeking funding as well as for credit funds in a direct lending capacity. Although mid-market transactions remain a core focus, UK and US-qualified Christopher Kandel‘s arrival in June 2024 from Morrison Foerster affords the team greater heft for sponsors and lenders handling larger deals, including those implementing loan and bond structures. Other key contacts include Mark Fine, the ‘astute and calm’ John Burge, and Italian-qualified practitioner Giulia Venanzoni.

Led by UK and US-qualified partner Michael Kazakevich, Ropes & Gray LLP is best-known for its ability to provide nuanced financing advice across loan and New York-governed high-yield debt products to corporates and private equity sponsors. Combining her London office managing partner duties with fee-earning work, Jane Rogers has good traction among borrowers engaged in European leveraged finance deals, as does Alex Robb - whose work straddles large cap and mid-market mandates for a sponsor-focused client base. Although the team is better-known for its borrower offering, the return in December 2023 of Benoit Lavigne from King & Spalding LLP has strengthened its creditor credentials, in light of his strong connections with credit fund clients providing new money and refinancing debt facilities to borrowers in the mid-market.

Often working alongside its highly rated M&A team, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (UK) LLP‘s ‘highly skilled’ borrower-focused practice has strong traction among corporates and financial sponsors, including on deals within heavily regulated industries. Unencumbered by any lender ties, the team, which is headed by Pete Coulton, is well-placed to elicit the best possible terms for its clients utilising financial products throughout all tiers of the capital structure, including syndicated loans, private credit, ABL PIK financings. Sebastian FitzGerald has had an immediate impact and since joining from Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP at the end of 2023 has worked on a number of key sponsor-led new money and refinancing transactions.

Acquisition finance forms a key part of Slaughter and May’s generalist finance offering which is squarely focused on servicing a blue riband array of leading FTSE corporates, as well as some financial sponsors. Consequently, the team is able to provide a very flexible approach, whether it be accessing liquidity in the TLB syndicated market, through the use of unitranche facilities or the bond markets. “Certain funds” public bid finance work is also a core strength, be it on behalf of both corporate and fund bidders. Banking head Ed Fife is key to the firm’s success on Takeover Code matters, work which he combines with corporate lending/acquisition skills as well as some bank-side mandates.

Often working in a seamless fashion alongside the firm’s well regarded private equity corporate team as well as offices in Paris and Frankfurt, Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP is a very popular choice among financial sponsors engaged in large-cap and mid-market cross-border European leveraged finance deals. Funds also form the backbone of the firm’s hybrid capital offering which includes work on direct lending transactions, as well as special situations matters – where it often works in a synergistic fashion alongside the firm’s restructuring group. Team head Ashley Young and Daniel Gendron are the main contacts for both the borrower and lender work and have expertise at advising across all levels of the capital structure.

Housed within the overarching commercial lending group, which is led by Emma Howdle-Fuller, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner advises borrowers across a considerable volume of acquisition finance mandates. Some of this work flows from mid-market focused private equity sponsors, a source of work which has grown in volume since the recent enhancement of the team’s corporate offering with the hiring of Perry Yam from Mayer Brown International LLP. The team also handles a considerable volume of corporate lending and corporate-led acquisition finance work, with Derek Hrydziuszko particularly noted for his versatile financing prowess which includes debt financings throughout the capital structure, including on new money and refinancings. Shanan Dunstan is also a key member of the team, including on acquisition finance mandates utilising ABL debt, as is Lerika Le Grange, who joined in May 2025 from Taylor Wessing LLP.

The ‘nimble and dynamic’ team at CMS is well-equipped to deliver cost-effective guidance to stakeholders on mid-market acquisition finance matters, both within the UK and multi-jurisdictionally. Although it does handle some bank work, the team is best-known for its borrower practice which advises funds and corporates on funding throughout the capital structure to facilitate M&A deals across a range of targeted sectors. Patrick Donegan has a focus advising on infrastructure and energy-related debt financings (including acquisition finance mandates) and heads up a team that also includes the ‘accessible’ Tom Siggers, whose creditor/debtor practice includes lending structures implementing unitranche, syndicated and ABL bank facilities; TMT finance expert Charles Kerrigan; and the ‘erudite’ Olivia Crundwell, whose versatile practice includes work for banks, debt funds and corporates.

Operating as a cohesive national offering which leans into its strong Birmingham office in particular, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP has cultivated long-standing relationships with banks and sponsors which it continues to serve on mid-market domestic and European transactions. The firm’s deal flow in this segment of the market has also been hugely enhanced by the presence of the ‘truly exceptional’ Ben Davis who, since his arrival in July 2023 from Proskauer Rose LLP, has galvanised the firm’s private credit fund offering as a result of the very strong relationships he has with the likes of Crescent Capital and Intermediate Capital Partners. Team head Nick Swiss is also a key member of the team and regularly advises banks and corporates on acquisition finance transactions.

With comprehensive financial products knowledge and leveraging deep subject matter knowledge in core areas of firmwide sector expertise, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP is well-positioned to provide a very effective service to stakeholders across a range of mid to upper-mid market acquisition finance deals. The firm’s extensive roster of leading FTSE corporate clients continues to generate some big-ticket financing mandates on strategic M&A deals, while on the lender front it is picking up an increased flow of work as designated counsel on sponsor-backed syndicated financings. Will Nevin has been key to the growth of the lender practice and has developed strong ties with a number of US and European banks, while Thomas Bethel excels at advising banks (including multilateral financial institutions) on oil and gas-related upstream acquisition finance mandates. Kristen Roberts, William Breeze and Gabrielle Wong co-head the banking and finance team.

Under the leadership of Amin Doulai and Alon Blitz , King & Spalding LLP has established a strong and growing reputation for private credit funds, in particular, providing financing to facilitate LBOs in the upper-mid market. Praised for its 'amazing drive' and willingness to go the 'extra mile for its clients',  the firm is increasingly active on deals with a US nexus, as well as handling a considerable volume of work for private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on transatlantic and European deals.

Acting on its own as well as often alongside lawyers across the firm’s broader international network, Norton Rose Fulbright is very well-equipped to handle cross-border acquisition finance work for borrowers and lenders, particularly in the emerging markets. In this context, Neha Khosla and Alex Dunn are both very well-versed in advising on energy deals involving both commercial bank as well as export credit-backed debt. For domestic and European work, Chris Akinrele has a strong reputation for funds as borrowers and lenders engaged in mid-market leveraged finance deals, and James Dunnett has a market-leading niche advising financial advisors on cash confirmation due diligence associated with public bid financing. Michael Black, who co-heads the general banking team with Madhavi Gosavi, has niche ABL prowess, which he frequently incorporates as part of the debt in the context of sponsor-backed leverage finance deals.

With a sizeable presence in London and in key regional centres, including Leeds and Manchester, Pinsent Masons LLP has developed strong relationships with borrowers and lenders seeking to execute mid-market acquisition finance transactions. Strong clearing bank relationships continue to generate a significant flow of general corporate lending transactions, as well as an increasing amount of work where they are providing super senior facilities into unitranche structures. Funds-related work is also a strength, not only in the context of mid-market private equity deals but also for credit funds providing leverage in the space, an area that the ‘technically very strong’ Max Millington is particularly skilled. Manchester-based Matt Morgan heads up the overarching finance and restructuring team.

Often working alongside colleagues across the firm’s vast international network, Dentons is particularly effective at handling cross-border acquisition finance mandates for a lender-focused client base. Catherine Astruc has strong ties with clearing banks, while Simon Middleton is more aligned to work for Nordic banks. Astruc co-heads the team alongside Richard Sharples, who often works alongside the corporate team providing the debt financing to borrowers on their M&A transactions.

Acting on its own, as well as frequently alongside other key offices throughout the firm’s international network, Jones Day‘s London office regularly advises borrowers and lenders engaged in complex multi-jurisdictional financings to facilitate strategic acquisitions and LBO transactions. ‘Calm and trustworthy’ team head Lee Federman has good relationships with banks and credit funds as lenders, while for borrowers his wide-ranging expertise includes new money and distressed/restructuring transactions for corporates and private equity sponsors.

Under the expert guidance of the 'technically excellent' Julie Romer, Stephenson Harwood has developed a thriving debt finance practice that handles domestic and cross-border acquisition finance work for clients both seeking or providing finance. As well as regularly working alongside the firm's very active mid to lower-mid market private equity group, the 'highly commercial' team is picking up a growing number of lender mandates, including for banks providing super senior facilities into unitranche structures.

As part of its broad finance offering, Taylor Wessing LLP delivers an exceptional service to corporates and private equity firms navigating mid-market acquisition finance mandates. A substantial portion of its work revolves around the tech sector, with a particular focus on providing debt financing to the firm’s later-stage, venture-backed clients. Heather Buttle heads up the overarching banking and finance team that houses experienced practitioner Martin Yells, who is well-versed at handing acquisition and property finance matters, in particular.