Haynes and Boone CDG, LLP has significantly expanded its London office with the addition of three partners, who will bolster the firm’s finance, shipping, and energy practices.
Emma Russell and Zoë Connor join the firm as London partners in the Finance Practice Group, where they will represent banks, investment funds and other clients on a range of finance transactions, including arranging capital commitment/subscription financings and other fund financings. Their focus will be on a collaborative, team approach and an emphasis on partner-led deals, which they hope will be welcomed by the market.
Andreas Silcher rejoins the firm following time as general counsel of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) division of the Cardiff/Dryships group, one of the largest privately owned shipping companies in the world. He represents clients in transactional matters in the maritime and offshore energy sectors.
“We are thrilled to land lawyers of the calibre of Emma, Zoe, and Andreas,” said Brad Richards, administrative partner of the London office.
Tim Powers, managing partner of the firm, added: “These additions build on the momentum we have already established in the London market and will allow us to better serve and expand our client base on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Russell is a vastly experienced finance lawyer and acts for lenders, borrowers and sponsors on a wide range of domestic and international financing transactions, specifically in the real estate finance and funds finance sectors. She has considerable experience advising lenders and funds on a range of financing products across all fund sectors, including private equity, real estate funds and funds of funds.
“I sought out Haynes and Boone because of its reputation as one of the leading firms handling subscription and fund finance,” Russell said. “I’m excited to help the firm expand its practice in the London market.”
Connor joins the firm from Ashurst LLP, where she advised a variety of lenders, borrowers, sponsors and financial institutions across a range of cross-border and domestic financing transactions, with a particular focus on the financing of investment funds and financial institutions. She has extensive experience in handling fund finance transactions across all fund sectors (including private equity, credit, infrastructure, energy, real estate, and funds of funds) and has acted as lead counsel on many of the market's largest fund finance facilities to top-tier global funds.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Haynes and Boone, a firm which is a truly respected global leader in the fund finance space,” Connor said.
Haynes and Boone’s 30-lawyer Capital Commitments/Subscription Financings team is a global leader in the representation of commercial and investment banks acting as agents and lead arrangers in capital commitment/subscription financings for private equity funds in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America, which is estimated by subscription lenders to be a $200 billion to $300 billion global market.
The firm was instrumental in developing the structure and documentation for this type of financing in the early 1990s. Today, its clients benefit from more than 25 years of industry experience in the global capital commitment finance market. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach to working with clients and their customers on each transaction, the team works to preserve the lender-borrower relationship by conducting all negotiations with an understanding of the fund’s business issues, while preserving each fund’s relationship with its investors.
With the addition of Russell and Connor in London, supported by our global team, the firm has added experience and capacity to serve both lenders and funds — acting as lenders or borrowers — in a broad fund finance practice, complementing and enhancing our ability to serve our clients.
Silcher brings considerable experience to the firm, having worked more than a decade in the maritime, oil and gas, and finance sectors on a wide range of commercial transactions, from negotiating shipbuilding contracts to structuring complex multi-national joint ventures. He represents ship owners, offshore energy companies, shipyards and investors. Fluent in Greek, German and Spanish, he regularly advises foreign clients in their native language. Prior to his role as General Counsel at Cardiff LNG (UK) Ltd., Silcher worked for Curtis Davis Garrard LLP, which merged last year to become Haynes and Boone CDG, LLP.
“Haynes and Boone CDG is extremely well known and respected for its work in the shipbuilding and offshore energy sectors,” Silcher said. “I’m excited to help build on that reputation and to also be part of a full-service firm that is quickly expanding its English law capability and global reach.”