5 October 2004 LAWFUEL – The Net’s leading law news serviceLinklaters has elected Gary Barnett, a US structured finance and derivatives practitioner, as a partner in its New York office. Gary’s election follows the appointments last month of Adam Glass, a leading US structured finance lawyer who joined the firm from Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, and Mark Palmer, a restructuring & insolvency partner who joined from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.
Gary joins Linklaters from Shearman & Sterling LLP where he was a partner and co-head of the Securitisation & Derivatives Group. He has a reputation for innovation in the fields of securitisation and other sophisticated financings, and specialises in domestic and international securitisation, structured products (including repackagings) and derivatives and other structured finance and derivative matters involving a wide variety of assets. He has represented clients in “whole company” securitisations and in a wide variety of cash and synthetic CDO transactions and structured investment vehicles.
Linklaters has a leading global structured finance and derivatives team, with experts based in key financial centres across the world. Gary’s election strengthens Linklaters’ recent extension of its capabilities into the US market, where there is strong demand. The new practice, which is headed by Adam Glass, provides a broad structured finance capability, covering CDOs, general structured finance, conduits and securitisations as well as pure derivatives work (both advisory and transactional) and securitised derivatives. Gary will work with Adam to develop and expand further this new practice.
Following the election of Akihiro Wani in Japan earlier this year, Linklaters has now become the first (and only) firm to be able to offer an integrated structured finance and derivatives practice in Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris and Tokyo staffed by German, English, New York, French and Japanese qualified practitioners who are independently recognised as market leaders in each of their jurisdictions. Our London office has structured and derivatives practitioners qualified in all five jurisdictions.
Nick Eastwell, Linklaters’ global head of capital markets, said: “The election of Gary Barnett, following that of Adam Glass last month, provides a great boost to our structured finance and derivatives practice. We are responding to strong client demand for US law advice in this complex and fast-growing field.”
Paul Wickes, Linklaters’ US Managing Partner, said:
“Gary Barnett is an excellent addition to our team and we are delighted that he has joined us. His appointment is another significant step in the expansion of our US capabilities.”
