Squire Sanders is expanding the reach of its Financial Services Practice Group with the lateral hires of two highly-respected partners: Philippa Chadwick and Paula Laird.
Philippa Chadwick joins the firm from Berwin Leighton Paisner, where she led its project finance team. Philippa specialises in international project finance and development bank finance.
Philippa’s work includes international economic and social infrastructure financings and infrastructure investments in the emerging markets. She typically advises development banks, commercial banks and the project sponsor community. Most recently she has advised the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on projects in its countries of operation, including Russia, Poland, Romania and Turkey.
In the UK she acts for funders and sponsors to PFI and PPP projects in all sectors including education, water, accommodation, health, leisure, renewables, blue light, roads and housing. Philippa has recently advised on UK waste projects and has worked closely with the European Investment Bank.
Philippa will be based in the London office but will work across the firm’s global network, particularly with the Moscow, Warsaw, and Asia-Pacific offices.
Also joining the firm is banking and finance partner Paula Laird, presently Head of Banking at Wragge & Co. Paula specializes in asset-based lending and asset finance, including equipment leasing. Her practice also spans banking and corporate support. Paula typically acts for major commercial lenders and corporates on asset finance transactions, including operating leasing, receivables finance, asset-based lending and sale of leasing/asset finance portfolios.
Before joining Wragge & Co in 2000, she was Head of Legal and Company Secretary at Chartered Trust PLC, a subsidiary of Standard Chartered Bank (now part of Lloyds TSB).
Paula’s recent work includes: advising on the £150 mn ABL cross-border financing (US, UK and Australia) of a major wine distributor and supplier; advising on the £80 mn domestic refinancing of a property and corporate conglomerate; advising on a public-to-private of an executive search firm, sponsored by a hedge fund; advising a commercial lender on a £300 mn facility to an international conglomerate; and advising a major banking group on the £300 mn refinancing of a car hire operator.
Paula will be based in London and will work alongside Andrew Knight, European head of the Banking and Debt Finance segment of Squire Sanders’ global Financial Services group.
Jim Barresi, Global Head of Squire Sanders’ Financial Services Practice Group, said: ”We are very excited to have Philippa and Paula join our team.”
“Philippa’s arrival is a direct response to demand from our clients for top-level project finance expertise across Europe, Russia and Asia. Her experience will complement and enhance our project finance capabilities in those countries, and we see exciting synergies with our Energy and Natural Resources industry groups.”
“We are also delighted that Paula is joining the practice. She is a highly-respected practitioner in the ABL and asset finance field and adds strength and depth to an already formidable team led by Andrew Knight. Our international platform and existing team will allow Paula to expand her practice and further develop her excellent client relationships.”
Andrew Knight commented: “These significant additions deepen our expertise and will enhance our ability to offer clients sophisticated financial advice in London and across the whole of our global platform.”
