Rich Hughes

He is one of the City’s most experienced finance lawyers with over 30 years of experience, specialising in structured finance, banking, real estate finance, hotel and leisure finance, fund finance and asset finance. He has recognition in all these areas from the various legal journals.

He also has in-house counsel experience both in a major US investment bank and one of the world’s largest airlines. Rich is renowned for the depth of his legal expertise combined with his pragmatism and ability to get deals completed in a commercial and friendly manner.

An expert on the Great War, Rich is pro bono legal adviser to the National Army Museum, Chelsea and the Western Front Association.

Jurisdiction: England & Wales

• Structured finance and securitisation: Acted for lead banks, originators and trustees in over 100 securitisations (and related warehouse and loan portfolio work) across RMBS, CMBS, credit card, auto and other sectors.
• Acquisition finance: Acted for Cerberus in its contested bid financing for GVC (deal value euro 1bn+) to fund the purchase of “bwin party”.
• Real estate finance: Acted for the banks on the Arsenal (Emirates) Stadium financing, which included construction finance, bank finance, and a refinance via a securitisation. 
• Corporate banking: Acted for the bank group in the restructuring of Dyson`s lending facilities as it made its recent move to Singapore.
• Real estate and fund finance: Acted for Terra Firma on the £1bn+ Network Rail “Arches” transaction.
• Project finance: Acted for MUFG in a $700m+ gas project financing in Kazakhstan.
• Regulated work: Advised Thames Water on its regulated securitisation programme and its intragroup financing programme. 
• Hotel finance: Acted for the banks on the refinancings of Ham Yard, Soho and the O2 Intercontinental, and the acquisition of the Hilton Hotel, Gatwick. 
• Fund finance: Acted for various banks in more than £5bn of capital call/subscription line financings. 
• Asset financing: Acted for Emirates in the financing of many of its Airbus and Boeing aircraft and one of its aero engine procurement programmes.