Baker McKenzie has hired leading capital markets partners Rob Mathews and David Becker to join its growing Corporate Finance practice in London. Both join the Firm from White & Case this month and will play a key role in further developing the Firm’s full service leveraged finance practice, together with lateral partner hires Matthew Cox, Haden Henderson, Bevis Metcalfe, Geoff O’Dea, Nick O’Grady and Matthew Smith.
Commenting, EMEA Head of Capital Markets Adam Farlow said: “We have been on a mission to find the best and most talented high yield partners to complement our strong and growing leveraged finance team. In Rob and David we have two exceptional capital markets lawyers who will boost our full service leveraged finance practice, adding depth in expertise and bench-strength and ensuring it’s more balanced, as well as adding underwriter and lender side power to the excellent work we’re already doing on the issuer side.”
London Managing Partner Alex Chadwick said: “Our London partner headcount has grown significantly over the past couple of the years as we continue to expand our transactional capabilities with the best and brightest lawyers. Rob and David’s appointments kick-start a year of further growth as we expand our Banking & Finance, Private Equity, Corporate and Corporate Tax practices.”
Rob Mathews added: “We are excited to be joining Baker McKenzie’s burgeoning leveraged finance practice and to be part of a full service bank-bond offering across the firm’s vast international network.”
David Becker said: “Rob and I were particularly attracted by Baker McKenzie’s vision of a fully integrated leveraged finance, high yield and restructuring practice taken together with its excellent team already in place.”
Rob is a pre-eminent capital markets lawyer focussed on high yield. His client base includes investment banks, financial sponsors and corporates, acting across the high yield spectrum. He is ranked as a leading individual in Legal 500 UK’s high yield section and as a ‘notable practitioner’ in the Chambers UK guide, which describes him as a ‘high yield guru’.
David is a highly regarded high yield and leveraged finance specialist, advising banks, private credit and alternative capital providers, borrowers and issuers on a broad range of high yield, leveraged finance and restructuring transactions across the debt capital structure and over the full credit life cycle.
Rob and David’s appointments mark a period of high profile transactional hires for the Firm in London:
Geoff O’Dea from Freshfields (Banking & Finance / Restructuring)
Mathew Dening from Sidley Austin (Structured Capital Markets)
Haden Henderson from Ropes & Gray (Capital Markets)
Matthew Cox from Ropes & Gray (Leveraged and Acquisition Finance)
Nick O’Grady from Ropes & Gray (Leveraged and Acquisition Finance)
Bevis Metcalfe from Ropes & Gray (Banking & Finance / Restructurings)
Michael Doran from White & Case (Structured Capital Markets)
Kathy Honeywood from Clifford Chance (Projects)
Megan Schellinger from Linklaters (Capital Markets)
Matthew Smith from Travers Smith (Leveraged and Acquisition Finance)
Alex Lewis from Ropes & Gray (Private Equity)
David Duncan from Allen & Overy (Corporate / EMI)
Melanie Howard from Clifford Chance (Corporate / M&A)
William Holder from King & Wood Mallesons (Private Equity)
The Firm has also grown transactional partner and counsel headcount organically, including the 2018 promotions of Jeremy Levy (Structured Capital Markets), Richard Needham (M&A), and Charles Farnsworth (Capital Markets).
