Global law firm White & Case LLP has expanded its Global Debt Finance and Africa Practices with the addition of Lionel Shawe as a partner in Johannesburg.
"Africa's continuing development provides significant investment opportunities, particularly in telecoms, banking, power and transport, and South Africa is an established hub and gateway for the continent," said Gareth Hodder, White & Case Executive Partner in Johannesburg. "As an experienced and respected partner, Lionel's addition in Johannesburg will complement our M&A and corporate practice, led by Gary Felthun, and help meet the growing demand from our clients here for advice on complex international transactions."
Shawe is an experienced banking and finance lawyer who advises a wide range of local and international clients on complex domestic and cross-border transactions. He has particular experience advising on mining financing, aircraft financing, acquisition and leveraged financing, fund financing, structured financing, property financing, preference share funding, securitisation, debt and equity capital markets and debt restructuring transactions. Shawe also advises on equity derivative financings and financial services regulatory and exchange control, and provides tax advice on complex financial transactions, derivatives and restructurings. Shawe joins from Allen & Overy, where he was a partner and managing partner of Allen & Overy's Johannesburg office.
"Lionel is a top-ranked banking lawyer who will provide further strength, depth and credibility to our debt finance practice in Johannesburg and globally," said White & Case partner Colin Harley, Regional Section Head, EMEA Banking. "Offering broader debt finance capabilities in Johannesburg through the addition of Lionel will enable us to provide even greater support to global clients on in-bound investment in South Africa and the sub-Saharan region and South African clients as they look to invest outside the country."
Partner Oliver Brettle, a member of White & Case's global Executive Committee, said: "Lionel's arrival supports our strategic growth in the global financial institutions and private equity industries and is further evidence of the success of White & Case internationally following a number of recent high profile lateral partner additions in EMEA and globally. Africa is a strategically important market for the Firm, we have been advising clients across the continent for more than 40 years, and our Johannesburg office is key to that. The addition of Lionel demonstrates our continued commitment to the office and the region."
In the last three years the Johannesburg office has benefited from the lateral addition of M&A partner Gary Felthun, the relocation to Johannesburg of Project Development and Finance partner Gareth Hodder, the promotion to partner of Craig Atkinson, and the promotion of three lawyers to local partner and two local partner lateral additions.
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