News | Finance

Thursday 8th July 2004

SJ Berwin has advised the management of First Leisure, one of the UK's largest nightclub operators, on the financing and property aspects of the management buy-out of its nightclubs business from the receivers of First Leisure. The acquisition consisted of 22 nightclubs. The financing for the MBO was provided by a consortium of banks.

The SJ Berwin team comprised banking partner Raji Bartlett, banking associate Rabel Akhund, insolvency partner Stephen Maffey and property partner Bryan Pickup.  Graham White of Linklaters advised the management on equity issues and Giles Boothman of Ashurst led the team advising the consortium of banks.

• SJ Berwin is a full-service international legal practice with more than 450 lawyers across its offices in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Madrid and Paris.
• SJ Berwin was created and thrives as a leading-edge legal services business, focusing on the European and international market place. Our clients are sophisticated buyers of legal services, principally entrepreneurial companies and financial institutions, whom we advise on a comprehensive range of services including Corporate Finance, Commercial, Real Estate, Banking, Reconstruction & Insolvency, Financial Services, Litigation, Employment & Pensions, EU & Competition and Tax.
•  Our approach has resulted in the firm winning a number of recent awards including "Real Estate Team of the Year" at The Lawyer Awards 2004, "World's Leading Firm for Private Funds Expertise" in The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2003/4", Private Equity Law Firm of the Year: Firm and Fund Work" at the European Venture Capital Journal Awards 2003, "Best Law Firm (fund documentation)" at the PrivateEquityOnline Awards 2003, "Mid-Market Law Firm of the Year" at the Acquisitions Monthly Awards 2003, "Western Europe - Private Equity Law Firm of the Year" by Chambers Global 2003 and Pro Bono Team of the Year at the Young Solicitors' Pro Bono Awards 2003.
• SJ Berwin's Banking Department advises a wide range of banks, other financial institutions, corporates and venture capitalists on all aspects of banking and finance and is on a number of formally constituted bank panels, including Barclays Bank, HBoS, Nomura, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Standard Chartered Bank. We are also the external advisers to the Association for Payment Clearing Services and the Cheque and Credit Clearing Company.