Proskauer

John Goldfinch is a partner in Proskauer’s London office, practising in the Structured Credit practice and Global Finance Group, and a member of the firm’s Private Capital industry group. He has more than 20 years’ experience in structured finance, advising asset managers, investment funds and financial institutions across Europe, the United States and Asia.

John is a leading adviser in the European collateralised fund obligation (CFO) market and has advised on the majority of European CFO transactions completed to date. He is also a leading practitioner in rated note feeders (RNFs). His experience includes advising Ares Management Alternative Credit funds on the $2.4 billion structured funding vehicle established with Coller Capital and Barings Portfolio Finance to invest in private equity and private credit secondaries. At announcement, the transaction was described as the largest-ever structured funding vehicle of its kind in the secondaries market (Proskauer transaction announcement).

John’s collateralised loan obligation (CLO) practice covers both pre (CLO “1.0) and post-GFC (CLO “2.0”) experience including many first of kind features and developments. In particular, he has very extensive expertise in structuring captive equity and risk retention funds, combining his experience of CLO transactions with the fund structures that support managers’ issuance and retention strategies. His wider CLO practice spans the full transaction lifecycle, from platform structuring and establishment through new issues, reissues and refinancings to exits and consolidation, as well as restructurings and asset workouts.

His broader practice encompasses securitisation, asset-backed finance (ABF) including asset-backed loans (ABLs) and secured structured lending across a range of asset classes, including loan portfolios, lease and trade receivables and non-performing loans. John has also advised on several M&A transactions using securitisation funding. He is a regular speaker at European and US industry conferences on structured credit and regulatory developments, particularly risk retention and regulatory capital arbitrage.

John is ranked for Capital Markets: CLOs in Chambers UK and Chambers Global and is rated “Highly regarded” by IFLR1000 for structured finance and securitisation and derivatives (Chambers UK, Chambers Global, IFLR1000). The Legal 500 UK described him as “charming to deal with” and praised his “excellent service”, while a client quoted in Chambers UK praised his ability to “understand complex needs and tailor creative solutions to address them” (Chambers quotation).