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Benjamin Bierwirth

Benjamin Bierwirth

Partner
Baker & McKenzie Services Limited

Biography

Benjamin is a New York qualified partner in the Firm’s Corporate Finance group in London, focusing on leveraged finance transactions and high yield bonds. Prior to joining the Firm in 2019, he worked in a leading US law firm in London. With a focus on high yield bonds, Ben has experience advising clients on a wide range of leveraged finance transactions, including high yield debt offerings, related debt and equity products, syndicated credit facilities, US securities law matters, restructuring and liability management. His clients comprise sponsors, top-tier investment banks and some of the largest international companies in their industries. Ben has also worked on secondment at a leading global investment bank its leveraged finance legal team.

Practice Focus

Benjamin's practice focuses on leveraged finance transactions with a particular emphasis on high yield debt offerings. Ben regularly acts for corporations, private equity funds, investment banks and underwriters on leveraged finance transactions involving high yield debt offerings and committed financing processes. Ben also regularly works on the syndicated loan and liability management transactions, including restructuring, debt exchange and tender offers. He is a US Securities laws practitioner focusing on complex cross-border Rule 144A and Regulation S debt offerings and restructurings.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Acted for the syndicate of twelve initial purchasers in connection with the offering of USD 500 million 9.250% Senior Secured Notes due 2029 by Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECPG), an international specialty finance company.
  • Acted for the syndicate of ten initial purchasers in connection with the offering of EUR 100 million additional floating rate senior secured notes by Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ECPG), an international specialty finance company.
  • Represented EquipmentShare.com Inc on its fourth offering of high yield bonds, consisting of USD 500 million 8.000% senior secured second lien notes 2033. Citigroup acted as lead physical bookrunning manager for a syndicate of 13 investment banks.
  • Acted for the syndicate of investment banks on Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi A.Ş.’s offering of USD 550 million sustainability-linked senior notes due 2031. Represented the dealer managers in connection with the concurrent tender offer for its 2025 notes.
  • Acted for JSC Georgia Global Utilities, a key player in the water utility and renewable energy sectors in Georgia, in connection with its offering of USD 300 million 8.875% covenanted guaranteed notes due 2029. The notes were green bonds with proceeds to be allocated to Eligible Projects.
  • Represented EquipmentShare.com Inc on its third offering of high yield bonds, consisting of USD 600 million (upsized from USD 500 million) 8.625% senior secured second lien notes due 2032. Wells Fargo acted as lead physical bookrunning manager for a syndicate of 13 investment banks.
  • Represented EquipmentShare.com Inc on its offering of an additional USD 400 million 9.000% senior secured second lien notes offering, while Mizuho Securities USA LLC and Citigroup acted as joint physical bookrunning managers.
  • Advised Unikmind Holdings Limited on its successful cash offer and public-to-private takeover of Kape Technologies plc, a leading 'privacy-first' digital security software provider. The final offer price implied an equity value for Kape of approximately USD 1.6 billion. A global Baker McKenzie team advised on all aspects of the transaction, including public M&A, debt financing, corporate, regulatory, competition, trade and foreign investments and employment and benefits.
  • Represented Oceans Finance Company, in its role as project manager to structure, implement and oversee the Government of Ecuador's record USD 1.6 billion debt-for-nature swap. The transaction will provide over USD 300 million for independently managed marine conservation around the Galápagos Islands over the next 18 years.
  • Represented EquipmentShare.com Inc on its debut USD 640 million senior secured second lien notes offering, while Goldman Sachs led the syndicate of 12 underwriters. This was one of the largest first time high-yield bond offerings of the year.
  • Acted for a syndicate of 10 underwriters on USD 2.5 billion (equivalent) sustainability-linked four tranche high yield bond offering by Teva Pharmaceutical. The Notes were SEC registered. Advised the dealer managers on the concurrent 6 tiered priority-acceptance tender offer to purchase up to USD 2.25 billion of certain of Teva's other outstanding bonds.
  • Acted for the initial purchasers on a sustainability-linked financing to Liberty Latin America's subsidiary, Liberty Costa Rica. The financing package consisted of a USD 50 million A Loan and a USD 400 million sustainability-linked senior secured notes due 2031 B Loan/B-Bond structure.
  •  Acted the syndicate of 10 lenders on Teva Pharmaceutical's multi-currency USD 1.8 billion senior unsecured sustainability-linked revolving credit agreement.
  • Represented an investor and lender in connection with a USD 125 million private high yield PIK bond to fund the capital requirements of a large international ship building company.

Professional Honors

  • Speaker at the "Designing the right structures for High Yield Bonds & Leveraged Loans" panel in AFME's 2024 High Yield and Private Debt Forum
  • Ranked "Up and Coming" for Capital Markets: High Yield by Chambers UK, 2024 & 2025
  • Ranked "Next Generation Partner" for Finance: High Yield by Legal 500, 2024
  • Moderator of the "Technology developments affecting Lev Fin" panel in AFME's 2023 Annual European Leveraged Finance and CLOs Conference
  • Moderator of the "Financing Latin America’s Just Energy Transition: Innovating GSSSB Bonds" panel at the 2023 Pioneering Latin America's Sustainable Finance conference hosted by the London Stock Exchange Group and Canning House
  • Moderator of "The ESG Agenda" panel in AFME's 2022 Annual European Leveraged Finance Conference
  • Ranked "Rising Star" for Finance: High Yield by Legal 500, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
  • Ranked "Associate to Watch" for Capital Markets: High Yield by Chambers UK, 20221 & 2023
  • Ranked "One to Watch" in Banking and Finance by bestlawyers.com, 2021 & 2022

Admissions

  • New York

Education

  • New York University (BA)
  • New York University School of Law (JD)

Languages

  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish
Baker & McKenzie LLP, an English partnership, is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein.