Nigel White
Partner
Secured lending finance lawyer with over 30 years legal experience at major international law firms (over 20 years as a partner). Particular expertise in real estate finance and corporate/leveraged finance (recently including specific focus on Asian investment into UK real estate) acting for investors, sponsors, private equity, traditional and challenger lenders and other market participants on a wide range of structured international finance transactions.
What we say about Nigel
Nigel started his career at Norton Rose before joining a City firm (which subsequently became part of Mayer Brown International) to help establish its banking and finance practice. He was named a partner in 1996 and subsequently went on to co-lead the Real Estate Finance Team at Mayer Brown.
During his career (including at partner level) Nigel has worked on an interim/seconded basis within UK clearing banks (Royal Bank of Scotland) and US investment banks (Bank of America) giving him valuable commercial insight when acting for both borrowers and lenders.
Nigel’s particular areas of focus include:
- structuring and restructuring of real estate investment and development finance (origination and subsequent distribution) both domestically in the UK and throughout continental Europe, USA and Asia
- advising on alternative financing structures (whether as part of business expansion, covenant waiver or consensual restructuring etc)
- representing clients on security and financing arrangements relating to corporate acquisitions / disposals and general corporate M&A activity
- structuring the acquisition, disposal and financing of loan portfolios
What others say about Nigel
According to the legal directories, Nigel has “a good understanding of the ins and outs of the banking market” (Chambers UK, 2011) and has an ability “provide simple explanations of very complex matters” (Legal 500, 2015).
He has been ranked as a key individual for “portfolio acquisition, development and structured finance” (Chambers UK, 2015).
Highlights
Some of Nigel’s career highlights/significant transactions include:
- Led the finance team advising a US private equity firm on its bid to acquire the “Churchill Portfolio” with an aggregate principal balance exceeding £2.5bn.
- Structuring Counsel for a German bank on the secured financing of the headquarters of the National Crime Agency.
- Led the team advising Persimmon plc on its covenant resetting arrangements (after the financial crisis in 2007) between syndicate banks and private placement noteholders (having an aggregate debt value in excess of £1bn). The deal was selected by The Lawyer as a highlight deal for the relevant year.
- Led the banking team advising a US private equity firm on the financing aspects of the purchase and subsequent disposal in 2017 of Gazeley ($2.8bn).
- Acted for the agent and security trustee on facilities to refinance the acquisition and initial transaction costs for The Shard of Glass development.
- Structuring Counsel for the investors on financing the purchase of Old Spitalfields Market, London for £105 million.
- Acted for St Modwen Properties on the refinancing of its secured club debt facilities with unsecured syndicated financing and new facilities from Homes England. An innovative structure that was recognised by the ACT at its awards ceremony in 2018.
- Acted for an investment group on its turnaround loan to BHS (after its sale by Sir Philip Green) and the subsequent restructure/repayment of that debt during the period between then and liquidation of the group in 2018.