Sean Lacey
Overview
Sean is one of the best partners in the market. He is experienced, very smart and his energy on a deal is super-constructive.” - Chambers UK, 2024
Sean is a partner in the restructuring group based in our London office. Sean represents investment funds, financial sponsors, financial institutions and corporate borrowers in connection with transactions across the credit spectrum, in particular, cross-border and domestic financial restructurings, special situations investments, credit-led opportunities, event-driven financings, and specialized lending transactions.
Sean is recommended as a leading restructuring and finance lawyer in Chambers UK, Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, The Legal 500 UK and IFLR 1000 and was selected by peers as a leading finance lawyer in Who’s Who Legal. Sean is described by clients in The Legal 500 2023 as “a superbly commercial lawyer”. He is further recognised and recommended as Band 1 for his extensive experience advising clients on both restructurings and special situations in Chambers UK 2024.
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Kirkland, Sean has worked on the following matters, advising:
- An ad hoc committee of creditors, including Strategic Value Partners, Cross Ocean and Deutsche Bank, on the successful $2.2 billion restructuring of the Intu SGS Group , implemented by way of UK scheme of arrangement
- Triton’s Arvos Group on a successful restructuring via an English scheme of arrangement
- Hurtigruten Group on its recapitalization action
- Wittur Group on its financial restructuring
- Telepizza group on its financial restructuring
- Ad Hoc Group including Apollo, Tikehau and Cheyne on the recapitalization of Lecta
- The ad hoc group of creditors to Celsa Group on its restructuring through the first Spanish restructuring plan
- Keter Group on its refinancing and subsequent recapitalization
- Pronovias on its financial restructuring
- The super senior fulcrum creditors to Avanti on its dual pre-packaged administration sales
- The ad hoc senior secured bondholder committee on the restructuring and acquisition of Matalan
- An ad hoc group of lenders to Archer Limited on the successful refinancing and recapitalization
- Hilding Anders on its financial restructuring
- The ad hoc group of noteholders on the restructuring of the Spanish regulated financial services company, WiZink
- Nordic Aviation Capital on its restructuring
- The ad hoc group of the major third party financial creditors of the Steinhoff retail conglomerate on the c.€10 billion litigation proceedings
- PGS Group on its successful recapitalization
- The ad hoc committee of Hertz Europe senior notes
- DeepOcean with respect to its financial restructuring through a Part 26A UK restructuring plan: the first ever cross class cram-down to be successfully implemented under the new legislation – Winner of Legal Business Deal of the Year 2021 and ILFR Deal of the Year 2022
- PizzaExpress on all aspects of its operational and financial restructuring by way of Part 26A UK restructuring plan and inter-conditional company voluntary arrangement
- The ad hoc convertible bondholder committee on the restructuring of Steinhoff
- The ad hoc bondholder committee on the first restructuring of Matalan
- EQT on the recapitalization of ACPS
- The lead investors on the restructuring of Survitec
- Galapagos on all aspects of its financial restructuring
- Arvos Group on its A&E and financial restructuring
- The senior bondholders and lead investors on the restructuring of Debenhams
- The principal investors in connection with the restructuring of BMI Healthcare/GHG
- The senior bondholders on the restructuring of House of Fraser
- HPS on the financing of HSS Hire group
- Certain investors in Thomas Cook on its restructuring
- Permira Debt Managers in relation to second lien financing of Quant
- Toys ‘R’ Us on European aspects of its restructuring
Prior to joining Kirkland, Sean worked on the following matters, advising:
- The ad hoc group of senior lenders in relation to the restructuring of the Tunstall group
- Permira Debt Managers on the unitranche refinancing of the Soho House Group
- Wind Hellas on its high yield bond refinancing and parallel equity raise
- The mandated lead arrangers on the leveraged refinancing of the Moto group
- Carlyle on its $3.2 billion acquisition of chemicals company Atotech from Total S.A
- The private equity sponsors and company on the restructuring of the HC Starck group
- The senior lenders on the refinancing and restructuring of Global Garden Products
- Credit and investment funds in relation to a number of credit transactions including the acquisition financings of Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, Clean Laundry, Savoury & Sweet, parship, Kinaxia, Iris Software and Busy Bees, and the financings of Dexter Axle, ALcontrol, David Brown Gears, ClubCo and Hillarys Blinds
- A unitranche lender on the financial restructuring by way of a receivership sale of a retail business
- Senior lenders on the leveraged refinancing of Northgate Information Solutions
- Dixons Carphone plc on a series of major financing transactions
- Talk Talk plc on a series of major financing transactions including its first private placement and high yield bond issues
- Grainger plc on its c.£1bn senior secured refinancing including its inaugural senior secured bond issue and a series of other major financing transactions
- The mandated lead arrangers on the senior secured financing of Onex’s acquisition of Survitec from Warburg Pincus and subsequent bolt on acquisitions
- The ad hoc committee of bondholders on the financial restructuring of New World Resources
- The ad hoc group of senior secured lenders in relation to KKR’s acquisition and recapitalisation of Uralita SA
- The senior lender co-ordinating committee in relation to the financial restructuring of the Biffa Group
- The senior lender co-ordinating committee in relation to the financial restructuring of the Travelodge hotels group
- Senior secured lenders on the restructuring of Johnston Press plc and their subsequent exit by way of a par refinancing
- UK Coal plc on its opco/propco restructuring and a series of stressed refinancings
- Mezzanine lenders on the restructuring of Cory Environmental
- Senior lenders on the restructuring of iSoft, an Australian listed healthcare IT group
- Mezzanine lenders on the restructuring of the Barracuda pubs group
- An institutional investor on the restructuring of a unitranche financing of a student housing business
- Carphone Warehouse plc on its c.£900m refinancing and financing in connection with its merger with Dixons plc, and the financing aspects of its acquisition of 100% of the Best Buy joint venture
Prior Experience
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
- Partner, 2011–2017
- Senior Associate, 2009–2011
- Associate, 2003–2007
Lehman Brothers
- Lawyer – fixed income, 2007–2008
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2003, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
Languages
- English
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Education
- University of OxfordModern History and Languages1998