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Lauren Priest-Stephens

"a very experienced ABL lawyer who provides a high level of client service" (Legal 500)

Partner, Finance
Manchester

Expertise

Lauren is a Partner in the banking group, who leads our North West Asset Based Lending practice and is listed as a "Next Generation Partner" in the 2024 edition of the UK Legal 500. Her practice is focused on the provision of advice on all aspects of cross-border and domestic asset-based lending to a broad range of lenders, debt advisors and corporate borrowers on both a national and international basis.

Lauren has broad experience of bilateral, syndicated and alternative structured transactions, acting on the front-end structuring and execution of transactions, through assistance with portfolio during the term of facilities to the termination of those facilities, including refinancings and restructurings

In addition to the provision of advice at the start of a transaction, Lauren often undertakes ongoing portfolio work and has experience of guiding all parties through the process of terminating a transaction, both through re-financings and restructurings and welcomes general industry or product queries from anyone interested in the sector, whether lenders, borrowers and/or their advisers.

Experience

Lauren's experience includes:

advising a leading pharmaceutical business on the refinancing of its working capital facilities including working with both the client and their syndicate of financiers to ensure that the legal documents contained sufficient security for the financier while retaining the flexibility required to allow the company to operate its business and an ESG element
supporting a syndicate of lenders on an £80 million asset-based lending facility consisting of receivables, work in progress, property, and a cash flow loan across the UK, Norway, and Canada
acting for an independent lender in providing secondary finance to a major luxury goods retailer behind senior receivables purchase facilities, including structuring of inter-lender arrangements to ensure that the requirements of all lenders were met
advising for a syndicate of independent lenders on the provision of asset based lending facilities to a national drinks manufacturer
acting for a syndicate of lenders on their global receivables and inventory financing of the Ineos Automotive group across a range of jurisdictions in Europe and beyond
supporting an independent lender on the restructuring of a global corporate group to which they provide facilities on an ongoing basis to ensure that asset based facilities could be provided to the new corporate structure while protecting the lender's position

Testimonials