White & Case LLP - Lawyers

Practice Experience

Kate Allchurch is a highly respected bank finance partner who joined White & Case in 2000.

She has a broad background in all aspects of bank finance. Her areas of expertise include leveraged finance, debt buy-backs, telecoms finance, and the secondary debt markets. Kate also has experience in restructurings.

Kate worked in White & Case's London office from 2000 to early 2009. Prior to joining White & Case, she was a bank finance partner in the London office of a leading US law firm, and also worked at a “magic circle” UK law firm for seven years.

Clients for whom Kate has recently acted include Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays Capital, HSBC, and KBC.

Kate's representative bank finance transactions include acting for:

Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse, London Branch as mandated lead arrangers in relation to the financing of the US$4 billion acquisition by global healthcare group Fresenius SE of APP Pharmaceuticals Inc., a US manufacturer of injectable pharmaceutical products, through its German subsidiary Fresenius Kabi AG. The financing package consisted of US$2.65 billion senior secured facilities and a US$1.3 billion high yield bridge facility.
BNP Paribas in relation to the provision of finance in support of Bridgepoint's bid to acquire Fat Face from Advent.
BNP Paribas as Agent in relation to the buy-back of £21.8m of senior and second lien debt under the acquisition facilities of May 2007 by a member of the Fat Face Group.
Deutsche Bank as solicitation agent and facility agent in relation to the buy-back by Smurfit International B.V., a guarantor, of up to €100 million of senior term debt outstanding under the Smurfit Kappa acquisition facilities dated November 1, 2005 by way of a Dutch auction.
BNP Paribas and CIBC as mandated lead arrangers on a secondary buy-out of Armacell International Gmbh, the Germany-based technical foam manufacturer from CVC Capital Partners Limited by Investcorp SA, the listed Bahrain-based global investment group.
CIBC, BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO and Lehman Brothers as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the provision of €1.3 billion senior financing to CVC Capital Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts to finance their €1.4 billion acquisition of the largest waste management company in the Netherlands, AVR from the Municipality of Rotterdam.
BNP Paribas and Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, as lead arrangers, for the US$2.9 billion international fleet bridge loan facilities backing the sponsor group's acquisition comprising Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc., The Carlyle Group and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity to help finance their US$15 billion acquisition of The Hertz Corporation. The international fleet bridge loan facilities provides financing in 12 countries.
ABN AMRO, CIBC and Fortis Bank as mandated lead arrangers on CVC's acquisition from WMO Beheer of outstanding shares in Wavin, the Dutch plastic pipes manufacturer involving €720 million term and €145 million revolver facilities.
CIBC, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley in connection with the provision of €1.005 billion of senior debt, €70 million second-lien and €200 million mezzanine financing to CVC Capital Partners for the acquisition of Ruhrgas Industries GmbH, the metering and furnacing division of E.ON Ruhrgas AG. We also acted for Deutsche Bank in the provision of staple financing. The total size of the acquisition is €1.5 billion including assumed debt and pension liabilities.
BNP Paribas and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, as arrangers, in connection with a US$2.5 billion syndicated facility to a Bermuda affiliate of Bristol Myers Squibb, a global pharmaceutical company.
Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, Fortis Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the £130 million acquisition of sit-up Ltd by Flextech (a Telewest subsidiary). Flextech acquired the outstanding 50% of shares in the company not previously owned by it.
Barclays Capital, Citigroup, CSFB, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the £1.8 billion refinancing of Telewest comprising senior and second lien facilities, a full UK security package from over 75 companies, partnerships and joint ventures and further security in Scotland, Jersey and the US.
HSBC and Barclays Capital in relation to £800 million debt facilities for KKR's approximately £1.23 billion public to private acquisition of Northgate Information Solutions plc.
Acting for BNP Paribas in relation to US$415 million revolving credit facilities made available to certain subsidiaries of Cable & Wireless plc.

Kate also advises clients in relation to troubled credits, including prior to the commencement of formal restructuring.

Bars and Courts
England and Wales, 1990

Education
LLB, Hons, Manchester University, 1987

Languages
English
French

Citizenship
British