Banking & Finance

Banks and financial institutions want lawyers who understand their markets and their products. With offices in all of the world’s key financial and business centres, our Finance practice offers an exceptional level of expertise and capability to execute cross-border transactions.

In London, our Finance practice is divided into small teams that address specific client needs:

• General Banking

• Energy & Infrastructure

• Asset & Structured Finance

• Financial Markets & Structured Products

• Insolvency

Each group focuses on particular markets and products, enabling teams to gain a greater understanding of the commercial factors our clients face in their businesses. There are many connections, both between the various Banking & Finance groups and with other practice areas, as well as opportunities to work closely with colleagues in other offices around the world.

Much of the work in this area involves high-profile clients – including many of the world’s major financial organisations and corporations – in headline deals. The practice also works on national and international regulatory developments and strategic issues for financial institutions.

Typical work

The nature of deals varies hugely and the risks and sums of money involved can be enormous. Some transactions can be completed in weeks; others take years to construct.

Notable deals

• Acted for the lenders on the £3.3 billion financing for Tata Steel Ltd’s bid for the shares in Corus Group plc. This successful acquisition created the world’s fifth largest producer of steel and represents the largest overseas acquisition by an Indian company

• Advised the arrangers on the financing for the £4.8 billion winning bid by Macquarie for Thames Water, the UK’s biggest water company

What you might do

This practice area promises you variety and exposure to a broad range of business and commercial matters. Typical work will involve taking on your fair share of drafting, proof-reading, bibling, bundling, and document management. These activities will give you an important understanding of how transactions work. As your experience grows your supervisors will allow you to take on more responsibility and more advanced work. However, at all stages you will receive significant client exposure as this too is vital to your development as a lawyer. You will have exposure to a wide range of deals, either directly or through meetings and training sessions, and there’s every chance that you will read about them in the Financial Times.