The firm’s Capital Markets practice covers a broad range of transactional and advisory matters, including representing U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, underwriters and selling and controlling securityholders in initial public offerings and other offerings of equity, debt and structured securities; advising private equity firms and their portfolio companies (as well as other investors and their controlled companies) in connection with capital markets exit transactions; offerings of high-yield debt in connection with leveraged financing and a range of other complex transactions; representing parties in offerings exempt from SEC registration under Rule 144A and Regulation S; advising on spin-offs, debt tenders and other corporate and capital restructuring transactions; providing securities law advice in connection with public M&A transactions, as well as on a range of other matters; and working with clients on the design and development of innovative securities products.
The firm’s Capital Markets Group is global in scope, involving over 70 lawyers from nine offices in key financial centers. It regularly draws upon specialists from other areas of the firm, including those in banking, bankruptcy and reorganization, communications, derivatives, employee benefits and executive compensation, finance, insurance, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and tax.
With a high level of partner involvement in each matter, the capital markets team as a whole is praised by The Legal 500 for its “excellent overall level of service” and its ability to “respond to clients quickly and efficiently.”
The Group has been involved in many market-shaping deals, including advising Verizon on its $49 billion bond offering, the largest-ever corporate bond issue, which earned the lead lawyer “Dealmaker of the Year” recognition by The American Lawyer in 2014.
Chambers Global has ranked Debevoise as a leading law firm for capital markets in the United States, France, China and Latin America. According to the publication, the firm’s partners are “intellectual, thoughtful and strong across-the-board.”