William Evans

Will advises banks, borrowers and sponsors across a wide range of loan products, including margin lending, fund financing, acquisition financing, general corporate lending and other structured lending arrangements. He has been key to the establishment of the firm’s market leading margin lending practice and has particular expertise in acting for the lenders on pre- and post-IPO margin lending transactions, margin loans secured over a portfolio of listed assets and using margin loans for stakebuilding purposes. Will also has a wealth of experience advising on fund finance and is part of the firm’s growing fund finance practice. 

In 2012, Will spent nearly a year on secondment to a leading global investment bank and in 2015 he spent six months on secondment to the Strategic Equities Solutions team at Citi.

Work highlights

Will has advised on many of the biggest and most complex margin lending transactions in recent years. These include advising:

• Lottomatica: a post-IPO margin loan for an Apollo entity secured over its retained stake following the listing of Lottomatica on Euronext Milan. We acted for the lenders. It was the largest IPO in Europe of 2023 at the time of listing.
• InPost: advising the lenders on a margin loan for an Advent International entity secured over its retained stake in on its listing on Euronext Amsterdam.
• Nexi: advising the lenders on a margin loan for an entity jointly held by funds managed by Advent International, Bain Capital and Clessidra secured over its retained stake in Nexi.

Will has advised on a wide range of other financing transactions, these include:

• A leading credit fund: advising the lenders on a NAV based RCF secured over its portfolio of loans and other investments.
• A European real estate investment fund: advising the fund manager on its capital call facility.
• Alcon: advising Alcon in connection with the financing of their acquisition of Aerie Pharmaceuticals and their other ongoing financing needs.