LAWFUEL – Press Release Service – Allen & Overy was awarded “Best Structured Trade Finance Law Firm” at last week’s Trade Finance Magazine Awards in London. The award was especially welcome as it was voted for by market participants and recognises the outstanding performance of the Structured and Asset Finance and Global Project Finance groups in the trade finance sector.
The win comes at a time when Allen & Overy is bolstering its global offering to clients in the structured and asset finance arena, with the recent hire of five associates. These new appointments swiftly follow four promotions to the partnership within the Structured and Asset Finance team earlier this year, namely Mark Middleditch in London, Carine Chassol in Paris, Ben Fox in Amsterdam and Joseph Stefano in New York.
The award singled out Allen & Overy for its role on a series of groundbreaking transactions over the past twelve months, with particular acknowledgement of the firm’s involvement on the structuring of SovRisc, ABN Amro’s $25 billion ECA-backed loan programme, a highly innovative structure that opened a new asset class for the market and, ultimately, provided a cheaper source of funding for ECA-backed financing.
Other landmark deals for which the firm won praise include the Dolphin Energy Islamic bridge financing, Eurochem’s $350 million structured loan and the structured trade finance facility for the Bratsk pulp mill in Russia – all of which won Deals of the Year Awards at the event.
Partner David Smith commented, “SovRisc was a highly significant deal and one only needs to look at the vast number of aircraft on order around the world and the boom in the demand for shipping to transport gas from producer regions such as the Middle East to market places to see the potential for this type of product. We are delighted to have received recognition as leaders in the field through this award.”
For further information, please contact David Smith (david.smith@allenovery.com) in London on +44 20 7330 2555, Campbell McIlroy (campbell.mcilroy@allenovery.com) on 020 7330 2783 or Caroline Livesey (caroline.livesey@allenovery.com) on +44 20 7330 4380.
