English law plays a significant role in international banking and finance and is frequently selected as the governing law for cross-border financing documentation.
Thomson Wilks advises on English law governed finance transactions involving lenders, borrowers, investors, corporates, public sector entities and other transaction participants across Africa and international markets.
Led by English-qualified finance lawyer Dr Pieter van Welzen, our capability spans lending and structured finance, debt capital markets, derivatives, trade and commodities finance and credit support.
Cross-border finance requires more than a governing law
An English law facility agreement may sit within a transaction involving borrowers, guarantors, assets and security across several jurisdictions.
While the principal finance documents may be governed by English law, questions concerning security creation and perfection, corporate authority, exchange control, regulation, insolvency and enforcement may depend on applicable local laws.
We work alongside local counsel and transaction participants to coordinate these different requirements and help clients manage the legal architecture of complex cross-border financings.
Our services
Our English law finance work includes bilateral and syndicated lending, secured and unsecured finance, leveraged finance, project and real estate finance, asset-based and asset-backed structures, debt capital markets, securitisations, derivatives, structured products, documentary credits, guarantees and participation arrangements.
We also advise on transaction structuring, draft and negotiate English law finance documentation, support multi-jurisdictional transactions and provide English law opinions where required.
An African base for international finance work
Our model enables clients undertaking African transactions to access specialist English law finance expertise from within the region while retaining the ability to coordinate local legal requirements across relevant jurisdictions.
This is particularly valuable for transactions in which English law documentation forms one part of a wider African financing, investment or project structure.
For English law finance enquiries, contact Dr Pieter van Welzen and the Thomson Wilks Banking & Finance team.
