Robert is a banking and finance solicitor with significant expertise in corporate lending, general banking, syndicated loans, secondary debt trading and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency.
Banks and financial institutions regularly seek his advice in relation to new and existing bilateral and syndicated lending (both secured and unsecured) to companies, financial institutions and supranational bodies along with transfers and assignments of loan participations in the secondary market.
Robert also has extensive experience in advising banks, insolvency practitioners, creditors, prospective purchasers and companies in relation to formal insolvency procedures, restructurings, enforcement of security and distressed business and asset sales.
Expertise
- Corporate lending
- General banking
- Syndicated loans
- Secondary debt trading
- Non-contentious restructuring and insolvency
- Enforcement of security
- Distressed business and asset sales
Experience
Banking & Finance
- Advised facility agents and syndicate banks in connection with a large number of high-value syndicated loans (both secured and unsecured) in numerous jurisdictions, both European and worldwide.
- Advised facility agents and syndicate banks in connection with the refinancing of existing loan facilities.
- Acted for Dentons entities in the financing of a global service hub for the Dentons Verein in the Netherlands, guaranteed by Dentons entities in England, Canada and Europe.
- Advised the syndicate members in relation to the sale of their loan participations to a purchaser connected to the obligors and contemporaneous transfer of the facility and security agent roles.
- Acted for the lender in relation to a long-term secured financing for a Premiership football club.
- Advised the lenders in relation to a lengthy process of multiple financing arrangements relating to a tungsten mine in England to enable additional monies to be invested by one of the shareholders. Thereafter, following the administration of its listed Australian parent, advised the lenders in relation to the administration of the tungsten mine operator.
- Advised the financiers of a steel mill in Africa in relation to the injection of additional funding, along with repayment of certain shareholder loans and the amendment and restatement of certain documents.
- Advised a property-owning group of companies in relation to their refinancing of existing facilities with a senior and mezzanine funder, a subsequent repayment of the mezzanine lender and a further amendment and restatement of the facilities to extend their maturity.
- Advised a petroleum exporter as borrower under a large secured margin financing facility.
- Advised the banks and facility agent in relation to a proposed leveraged acquisition of a mining facility in Australia.
- Advised a well-known mobile telephone company in relation to the disposal of one of its brands.
Restructuring & Insolvency
- Acted for the operator of a hotel group in relation to the refinancing of its banking arrangements and problems caused by the Covid pandemic.
- Acted for a well-known supermarket to protect it and its farm suppliers in anticipation of the insolvency of a large dairy company.
- Advised the Official Receiver as liquidator and PwC as special managers in relation to the treatment and renegotiation of existing contracts and relationships with creditors of the Carillion group.
- Advised a government department in relation to the sale of its claim in the administration of a collapsed EEA financial institution.
- Advised the coordinating committee and lenders in relation to the loans made available to a PFI infrastructure vehicle.
- Advised the administrators of a group of sub-prime lenders in relation to the sale of their portfolio of personal, commercial, regulated and unregulated loans in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man and England, along with transitional arrangements.
- Advised the administrators of a chain of pubs and bars in relation to the sale of the business and assets and ongoing trading arrangements.
- Advised the administrators of a large group of English and Scottish care homes in relation to the proposed sale of the business and ongoing trading issues.
- Advised the administrators of a chain of well-known holiday camps in relation to the sale of its business and assets.
- Advised the administrators of an oil refinery in relation to their funding arrangements and ongoing supply and sale of crude and refined products.
- Advised the administrators of a well-known chain of restaurants in relation to the sale of their flagship London sites.
Energy/ Natural Resources
- Advised the lenders in relation to a lengthy process of multiple financing arrangements relating to a tungsten mine in England to enable additional monies to be invested by one of the shareholders. Thereafter, following the administration of its listed Australian parent, advised the lenders in relation to the administration of the tungsten mine operator.
- Advised the financiers of a steel mill in Africa in relation to the injection of additional funding, along with repayment of certain shareholder loans and the amendment and restatement of certain documents.
- Advised a petroleum exporter as borrower under a large secured margin financing facility.
- Advised the banks and facility agent in relation to a proposed leveraged acquisition of a mining facility in Australia.
- Advised the administrators of an oil refinery in relation to their funding arrangements and ongoing supply and sale of crude and refined products.
Professional Practices
- Acted for Dentons entities in the financing of a global service hub for the Dentons Verein in the Netherlands, guaranteed by Dentons entities in England, Canada and Europe
- Acted for a well-known UK bank in relation to its bilateral financing of a loan to a Magic Circle law firm.
- Acted for a high-profile UK bank in relation to its bilateral financing of a loan to a top 5 law firm.
- Acted for US bank in relation to its bilateral financing of a loan to a Magic Circle law firm.
- Acted for a UK clearing bank in relation to bilateral loans to a top 50 UK law firm.
Africa
- Advised the financiers of a steel mill in Africa in relation to the injection of additional funding, along with repayment of certain shareholder loans and the amendment and restatement of certain documents.
- Advised the facility agent and the banks in relation to facility agreements for certain well-known banks in Nigeria.
- Advised the facility agent and the banks in relation to a facility agreement for a well-known bank in South Africa.
- Advised the facility agent and the banks in relation to a facility agreement for a well-known bank in Zambia.
- Advised the facility agent and the banks in relation to numerous syndicated and bilateral facility agreements for a well-known supranational pan-African lender based in Egypt, both as borrower and lender.
- Advised the facility agent and the banks in relation to the international and domestic currency financing of mobile telephone networks in South Africa.
Recognition
Recognised in The Legal 500 2024 for Projects, Energy and Natural Resources: Power
Recognised in The Legal 500 2024 for Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Loans
Career
Robert qualified as a solicitor in 2001. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2022, he worked at Dentons.