Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) today announced that it has hired partner Simon Small to strengthen its finance capabilities and continue the growth of its banking & capital markets group.

Simon joined the securities and derivatives group at Ashurst in 2006. Prior to this he spent 11 years as a partner at Linklaters where he was one of the founding partners of their securitisation business. He has considerable experience in capital markets transactions across a range of asset classes including residential mortgages, trade receivables, auto loans, credit cards, commercial real estate and project bonds. 

 

Simon is the latest in a number of strategic hires in the Finance department. His appointment follows the recent appointment of banking and finance expert Paul Simcock, who joined BLP from Skadden Arps. 

 

The BLP team Simon will join has recently worked on a number of major deals, including Project Isobel for RBS and the financing for the acquisition of Total’s UK downstream business by Rontec Investments. 

Matthew Kellett, the managing partner of BLP’s finance department, said:”We are delighted to have someone of Simon’s calibre join us to help drive forward our plans for the practice. Simon has considerable experience across structured finance in a broad range of asset classes and he is well placed to deliver high quality advice on all aspects of complex capital structures.” 

Matthew added: “Simon joins us at an exciting time as we refocus the Finance department for the next phase of growth.”

 

Commenting on the appointment, Simon said: “BLP has been involved in some of the highest profile deals in the market and its established capabilities provide me with an excellent platform from which to continue to assist clients. I’m excited to be involved at a time when they are making significant investment in the structured finance practice and the wider finance department.”