Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has won the “Fund Financing: Advisory Services” category at The Drawdown Awards 2021.

The Drawdown Awards celebrate excellence and innovation within private capital fund operations in Europe. They include a rigorous judging process, based on the views of a panel of leading private capital fund COOs, CFOs, CCOs, GCs and CTOs.

Debevoise won the fund finance category following a stellar year for the European team, led by Alan Davies, Pierre Maugüé and Thomas Smith, which grew by 60%, bolstered by new clients and the expansion of NAV financing for PE funds.

Last year also saw the team, including Thomas Smith, Felix Paterson, Alex Bell and Andrew Burnett, advise flagship private equity funds managed by EQT in two subscription facilities incorporating innovative environmental, social and governance mechanics, which impact the margin payable to the lenders. Both with an upper limit of €5 billion, they were the first ESG-linked subscription facilities of their size across the global fund finance markets.

It’s the latest accolade for Debevoise’s finance practice, which was also named Banking and Finance Team of the Year in the 2020 British Legal Awards.

Debevoise’s fund finance practice is ranked in Tier 1 by The Legal 500 UK, and represents borrowers and lenders around the globe in all types of fund financing transactions, working closely with the firm’s fund formation, tax, and regulatory colleagues to structure facilities that align with the borrowers’ fund documents and investment objectives.