Since its founding in 1901, banking has been at the core of White & Case's practice. The Firm now represents more than 90 banks around the world, including many of the largest banks in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Acquisition Finance
A major component of the Firm’s banking practice consists of advising lending institutions in financing domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures and equity investments. White & Case has extensive experience in hostile takeovers as well as in negotiated public and private acquisitions and recapitalizations. We assist clients with all aspects of the deal structure, negotiation, and documentation, including issues of fraudulent conveyance, collateral, compliance with margin and other regulations, the relationships between senior and subordinated lenders, and all other issues particular to the syndicated loan market.
Commercial Lending
White & Case has unparalleled experience advising banking and other financial services clients around the world on a wide range of domestic and international extensions of credit, such as secured and unsecured credit facilities, syndicated and nonsyndicated, and single and multicurrency-denominated facilities. These include acceptance and letter of credit facilities, receivable and other asset-based financings, and project loans of all types, as well as structured commercial paper programs and commercial paper backup facilities. The Firm represents its clients in their various roles in financing transactions: lenders, underwriters, arrangers, and agents.
Project Finance
White & Case has been at the forefront of project finance in the United States and overseas for more than 30 years. In annual league tables compiled by publications such as Project & Trade Finance, The American Lawyer and Legal Business magazines, White & Case regularly features as one of the world’s leading law firms for project financings. We have represented lenders in many of the world's largest infrastructure and other development ventures–airports, roads, bridges, railroads, power, energy and natural resources, telecommunications systems–financed on a project basis.
Leasing and Other Asset-Backed Activity
The Firm is a recognized leader in leasing, asset-based financial structures, and structured financial transactions throughout the world. We have been involved in institutional leveraged lease transactions from their inception and, in our many years of experience, have represented all parties to leasing transactions, including equity investors, lessees, borrowers, financial advisors, lenders, and credit support providers of all kinds.
Real Estate Finance
White & Case has extensive experience in real estate finance and capital markets transactions. We represent clients in connection with mortgage origination, structured finance, and debt and equity capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings of real estate companies, Rule 144A offerings, public offerings and private placements of debt securities, mezzanine financings, and tender offers for syndicated limited partnership interests.
Securities
The Firm's diverse securities practice includes representing financial institutions in a wide variety of debt, equity and derivatives offerings in the United States and in the international markets. White & Case has been active in the offering of country funds and other investment fund activities, asset-backed securities and real estate investment trusts (REITs). The Firm also advises clients on currency and interest rate swap arrangements as well as on options, warrants, and other equity and commodity-based derivative products.
Bankruptcy/Debt Restructurings
White & Case has been involved in many of the large, complex Chapter 11 proceedings in recent years. In the large majority of cases we have represented creditors and creditor groups. We have also represented lenders providing debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to major Chapter 11 debtors. Outside of formal bankruptcy proceedings, White & Case has well-established capabilities in advising lenders in U.S. and international consensual corporate restructurings and workouts. We typically represent banks and other financial institutions in connection with amendments to previously existing credit documentation or exchanges of new instruments for existing instruments.
Asset Management
White & Case counsels clients with asset management responsibilities – including fiduciaries, investment advisers, investment funds, and broker-dealers – on tax, fiduciary, and regulatory issues arising from the structure, operation, and maintenance of investment funds and financial products. Our advice increasingly involves preventative counseling to help clients avoid litigation from increasingly sophisticated consumers.
Regulatory Advice
White & Case advises clients on the many issues related to managing, operating, and controlling banking institutions. We advise on the broad range of organizational forms through which banking organizations may conduct their banking operations in the United States. As the boundaries of permissible activities expand, we counsel clients on extending their services into new areas. We have been at the forefront of advising commercial banking clients as they push forward into the investment banking business.
Corporate Transactions
We advise our banking and financial services clients on their own corporate acquisitions, particularly the acquisition by banks of firms in securities businesses. For example, we advised Swiss Bank in its acquisition of Brinson Partners, SG Warburg, Dillon, Reed & Co. and the O’Connor Group and its merger with Union Bank of Switzerland.
Intellectual Property
Financial services companies are assessing their intellectual property assets, and have begun filing patents on their systems and methods and considering enforcement of their rights. We assist with this process as well as registration and enforcement of trademarks and domain names and negotiation of licensing, development, strategic alliance, technology-sharing, and distribution agreements.
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