Benoit Lavigne, a former finance partner at Ropes & Gray, will be re-joining the firm in early January as a partner in its market-leading finance practice, in London.
Benoit advises private credit providers and other lenders, as well as borrowers, on a broad range of complex finance matters including acquisition finance, general corporate lending, asset-based lending, restructuring, and workouts. He is ranked in the Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2024, with clients describing him as “very sharp and extremely commercial” and “able to handle all aspects of a time-sensitive deal effectively whilst keeping a commercial hat on”.
Benoit joins one of the world’s leading private capital law firms, and one of only a few in London with on-the-ground capability to execute finance transactions under both English and New York law. The firm has deep expertise in representing issuers and borrowers, as well as lenders, in complex financings across industries and geographies.
Jane Rogers, Managing Partner of Ropes & Gray’s London office, added: “It is fantastic to welcome Benoit back to the firm. His return builds on the strong performance of our London finance team and is another step towards our goal of becoming London’s preeminent international law firm for private capital clients.”
Michael Kazakevich, co-head of the firm’s Global Finance Practice, said: “Benoit re-joining the team increases our bench strength and bolsters our finance offering, particularly due to his extensive experience working with credit funds. His return will undoubtedly be a win for our clients and for Ropes & Gray.”
Julie Jones, Chair of Ropes & Gray, said: “With his considerable experience and stellar reputation for acting on complex finance matters, Benoit is a perfect fit for the firm and our clients. We look forward to welcoming him back.”
Ropes & Gray has been recognised by the Chambers & Partners UK Guide 2024, ranking highly across the board including in the categories of Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Big-Ticket, Banking & Finance: Sponsors, and Capital Markets: High-Yield Products. The firm has also gained similar recognition in the Legal 500 UK 2024 directory as one of the UK’s leading high yield law firms for its work on high-value and complex high yield financings, both for first-time and repeat issuers and underwriter clients. Partners Robert Haak, Michael Kazakevich, Alex Robb and Jane Rogers have received individual recognition across the two directories.
