Sean Darling’s practice focuses on a broad range of international corporate and financial transactions with a focus on leveraged, infrastructure and acquisition financing transactions and bespoke structures. Sean joined Ropes & Gray in 2018 having previously worked at another international law firm in London and Hong Kong.
Sean spent one year on secondment to Partners Group (2020/2021) negotiating, structuring and executing private debt, special situations, infrastructure, co-investment, impact, fund financing, minority and growth equity transactions.
Sean has a particular interest in ESG and sustainable deal structures and mechanics.
Disclaimer
Experience
Sponsor and Acquisition Financings
- Baring Private Equity Asia on the financing arrangements in connection with its USD 1 billion investment in Lumenis including a dividend recapitalization transaction in connection with the sale of Lumenis’s surgical business.
- The BidFair group on the financing for its USD 3.7 billion acquisition of Sotheby’s.
- Silverfleet Capital on the acquisition of CARE Fertility, the UK’s leading fertility services provider.
- Epiris on its acquisition of Diamorph AB (publ), a supplier of advanced material solutions.
- Loxam on its EUR 795 million financing of its all-cash offer for Lavendon plc, a UK-listed company regulated by the UK Takeover Code.*
- Alpha Capital Partners on the EUR 350 million leveraged buyout of European insulation business Ipcom.*
Infrastructure and Real Estate Financings
- DigitalBridge, Liberty Global and AtlasEdge on a EUR 725 million hybrid infrastructure and leverage financing.
- Altice in connection with the entry into a EUR 1.9 billion senior secured credit facilities to finance the deployment of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) internet infrastructure across France.
- A family office on the EUR 500 million acquisition, development and financing of one of the world’s largest data centers and its associated letting to a major international tech company.
- Partners Group on its financing aspects of the joint venture with Host Student Housing to build up a £1 billion UK purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) and co-living platform and on the joint venture’s first acquisition of a four-asset seed portfolio.
- Advice in relation to a potential rescue financing supported by material real estate assets in the hospitality sector.
- Advice to the lender on the potential debt restructuring of a European energy producer’s transition (fossil fuel to biodiesel) financing arrangements.
Holdco Financings
- A series of bespoke holdco financings.
- A PIK holdco financing for a European private debt fund.
Debt to Equity Convertible Instruments
- Athyrium on its convertible loan note investment in uMotif, the patient data capture and decentralized clinical trials platform.
- A leading provider of on demand, multimedia and multi-platform digital content on its convertible loan note investment in an award winning producer of digital content for children.
- A multinational corporate in relation to a potential debt to equity convertible investment in a European sustainable energy supplier.
- A family office in respect of a rescuing financing for a growth business in the prop tech space.
General Financings
- Advised UPC Holding and its subsidiaries on a successful debt buyback transaction pursuant to a modified Dutch auction process, comprising a concurrent solicitation of offers in respect of outstanding senior notes, senior secured notes and senior secured term loans ~ €855 million.
- The Brazilian Development Bank in its first Green Bond offering USD 1 billion.*
- Advised Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken in connection with a €1.8 billion super-senior revolving facility and SEK 2 billion senior secured revolving facility refinancing for Intrum AB (publ).
- PG Impact Investments in relation to its debt investments in Africa, South America and Asia.
- Advised Spanish gaming group Codere on the issuance of €865 million high-yield bonds and €95 million super senior revolving credit facility.*
- TAG Group Limited on the financing aspects of the GBP 275 million reorganization of the shareholding in McLaren Group.*