Ward McKimm is a partner in the Capital Markets practice and Head of the Global Leveraged Finance business.

Ward represents underwriters, sponsors and issuers on a range of complex financings in Europe, the U.S. and internationally, including multi-jurisdictional leveraged buyouts. He is one of the leading high yield lawyers in Europe, and has been recognised as:

• A Band 1 practitioner by Chambers and Partners since 2012 who is ‘exceptional in his field’, ‘hugely experienced’ and ‘one of the very best on the high yield scene’.
• A ‘leading lawyer’ in The Legal 500, 2018.
• A ‘market leader’ in The IFLR1000, 2018.

Ward also led the teams that won Law 360’s ‘Capital Markets Team of the Year’ in 2015, IFLR Europe’s ‘Team of the Year for High Yield’ in 2014 and Legal Business’s ‘Finance Team of the Year’ at the 2011 Legal Business Awards.

• Advent International and Oberthur in connection with Oberthur’s €190 million offering of senior notes.*
• Goldman Sachs in connection with Almaviva S.p.A.'s offering of €250 million senior secured notes.
• Carlson Travel Inc. in connection with its $415 million senior secured notes, €330 million senior secured floating rate notes and $250 million senior notes.
• BNP, Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds in connection with Premier Foods' offering of £210 million senior secured floating rate notes.
• Hellman & Friedman in connection with the financing for Hellman & Friedman’s €600 million acquisition of TeamSystem from HgCapital including an English governed senior secured bridge and New York governed privately placed floating rate notes.*
• The Blackstone Group and Cinven in connection with their €5.5 billion bid for certain assets of Holcim Lafarge.*
• CVC Capital Partners in connection with the financing, including €550 million floating rate senior secured high yield bonds, of CVC’s acquisition of ParexGroup Participations S.A.S, and in connection with ista’s offering of €350 million senior secured notes and €525 million senior subordinated notes.*
• The Carlyle Group and IDH Finance in connection with IDH’s offering of £200 million senior secured fixed rate notes, £125 million senior secured floating rate notes and £75 million second lien notes.*
• Cinven, Carlyle, Altice and Numericable Finance & Co. S.C.A. in connection with the amendment and extension of Numericable’s senior credit facilities and Numericable’s €360.2 million offering of senior secured notes.*
• Oaktree Capital Management and SGD Group S.A.S. in connection with the offering by SGD Group S.A.S. of €350 million senior secured notes.*

*experience prior to Shearman & Sterling

Awards & Accolades

• Ward is ranked as a ‘French Foreign Expert’ by Chambers Global.