Howard is an experienced finance lawyer with a diversified practice that includes banks and financial institutions throughout the world, borrowers and other users of banking products, fund managers and funds. He deals with structured finance and derivatives, banking transactions, the provision of finance to support overseas projects, export credit-supported financings and trade finance, as well as other complex transactions of this type.
The majority of his work focuses on international and cross-border transactions where the documentation has an English-law element, one or more parties are established in England, or the transaction is funded in the London financial markets. More specifically, he acts as a transactional lawyer for clients across a range of matters.
Howard has published articles and spoken at seminars and conferences over the years, primarily on subjects in the field of trade finance.
Expertise
- Structured derivatives transactions
- Syndicated and bilateral lending, borrower representations and financial transactions for the emerging markets
- Pre-export finance, negotiable instruments and forfaiting
- Investment funds, advisers and derivatives
- Borrower representations
- Syndicated and leveraged finance
- CDOs, credit default-based products and synthetic transactions
- Hedge funds and other investment funds as credit provider
Experience
- Advised on complex bilateral structured transactions between banks involving the use of derivatives such as credit default swaps and credit-linked instruments, total return swaps and repurchase agreements to achieve risk, capital and/or arbitrage benefits.
- Provided advice on loans and other financial support to a wide range of European banks, other financial institutions and borrowers for large projects and the supply of capital in the world’s developed and developing countries including in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia – often with the involvement of export credit agencies and multi-national development agencies.
- Advised on trade finance transactions for European banks and other specialist institutions, including the purchase and sale of negotiable instruments, advising on letters of credit and other documentary credits, performance and other bonds and associated documentation.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) from 2014 – 2024 in the practice area of Derivatives
Career
Howard qualified as a solicitor in 1977. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2017, he worked at the following firms:
- Sidley Austin
- Cameron Markby
- Norton Rose