Capital firm’s banking and finance team hails growth

● Legal team advises on deals worth a total of £132bn in past year

0 Fiona Buchanan is head of banking and finance at legal practice Shepherd and Wedderburn Shepherd and Wedderburn has reported a strong year for deals activity in its banking and finance team, achieving more deals with a higher combined value on behalf of its clients.

The Edinburgh-headquartered legal firm’s banking and finance arm, which serves clients including banks, funds, financial institutions, local authorities, corporate borrowers and sponsors, participated in 162 deals in the year to 30 April, reaching an overall deal value of £132 billion.

Compared with the previous financial year, this is a 12 per cent rise in deal numbers, up from 144, and a 41 per cent increase in total deal value, up from £93.4bn.

Transactions completed during the year included real estate debt refinancings; residential

FIONA BUCHANAN mortgage and car loan securitisations; funding and refinancing major infrastructure and energy projects; and financing and refinancing corporate loan facilities to companies ranging from blue chip businesses to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The firm’s banking and finance team took part in a number of notable deals, including acting as Scots Counsel for a syndicate of lenders on $700 million (£535m) loan facilities to North Sea oil and gas explorer and producer Ineos, as well as acting on behalf of a bank club on a £680m debt refinancing to onshore wind energy provider Ventient Energy, covering 35 UK wind farms.

Fiona Buchanan, head of banking and finance at Shepherd and Wedderburn, said: “Our top-ranked team worked on a variety of complex deals across a range of sectors and we are increasingly partnering with clients on pathfinder projects, combining our legal expertise with cutting-edge technologies.

“Thebankinglandscapecontinues to change at pace and this has been reflected during the past 12 months in the proliferation of our client base to include new market entrants, as well as established financial institutions.

“The growth in our financial regulatory advisory practice is ensuring we meet the varying demands of these diverse market participants.”

Along with its Edinburgh head office, the firm has branches in Glasgow, Aberdeen and the City of London.

“The banking landscape continues to change at pace and this is reflected during in the proliferation of our client base”