Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance Paris hires leading US Securities Partner Alex Bafi

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance today announced that Alex Bafi is to join the firm's global Finance and Capital Markets practice in Paris.

Alex Bafi has extensive experience in US Securities including equity and debt capital markets as well as high yield financing. He regularly advises investment banks and corporations on a wide range of international securities offerings, including initial public offerings, rights issues, bond issues and other capital market transactions. His work covers more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, the Maghreb and the Middle East. Alex Bafi is fluent in French, Italian and Arabic, and has a working knowledge of Turkish.

Yves Wehrli, managing partner of Clifford Chance's Paris office commented: "We are delighted to welcome Alex who is a leading expert in his field. Alex will further strengthen our Equity and Debt Capital Markets teams, as well as our Acquisition Finance team for high yield offerings, and our Projects team, which is increasingly turning to the US bond markets for financing."

Adrian Cartwright, global head of Clifford Chance's Capital Markets practice, added: "Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms in Capital Markets, and the appointment of Alex in a major financial centre such as Paris was an obvious choice given the increasing importance of the US market for Capital Markets transactions. His expertise in high yield offerings will also be particularly useful on the French market." 

Clifford Chance's Finance and Capital Markets practice in Paris has recently been involved in a number of high profile transactions, including the acquisition of the Coeur Défense building by Lone Star; the financing and public takeover bid by Global Resorts SAS for Club Méditerranée; the issue of convertible bonds by Pierre et Vacances; EDF's hybrid bond issuance and Sterling-denominated 100-year bond issuance; the creation of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in the context of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis; as well as the financing of the acquisition by Ramsay Health Care and Predica of a controlling stake in Générale de Santé.

The firm has an outstanding European capital markets practice and has advised on numerous high profile deals including the Glencore and Prada IPOs, Accor's €900 million perpetual hybrid bond issue and sovereign issues across Europe including Croatia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia.

Alex Bafi said: "I am delighted to be joining the talented team at Clifford Chance. The firm has one of the leading Finance and Capital Markets practices in the world right now, and Clifford Chance was the obvious choice for this next stage of my professional career."

Alex Bafi has recently advised leading financial institutions on many significant matters including a high yield debt offering by Kuwait Energy plc; the £350 million rights offering by Premier Foods; the £920 million IPO and premium London listing of Zoopla; the IPO and NASDAQ Dubai listing of Emirates REIT (the first IPO on NASDAQ Dubai since 2009); the US$225 million offering and sale of shares in Aksa Enerji by Kazanci Holding; and the US$330 million IPO and listing of Pegasus Airlines on the Borsa Istanbul.