Three Hogan Lovells Transactions Win Latin Lawyer Deal of the Year Awards

In Banking & Finance Deal of the Year, the firm advised Knighthead Capital Management, LLC as lead lender in connection with its proposal, on a competing basis, of a debtor-in-possession financing facility to LATAM Airlines, and in its participation as a lender in the debtor-in-possession loan facility that the bankruptcy court eventually approved. The deal was completed in September 2020, and the Hogan Lovells team was led by Los Angeles-based partner David Simonds and former partner Stacey Rosenberg.

In Capital Markets Deal of the Year, the firm again advised Knighthead Capital Management, this time alongside Cetares Management, as the Brazilian airline, Azul, issued US$325 million in secured convertible debentures to help it survive the pandemic-driven industry downturn. The firm’s clients acted as anchor investors in the groundbreaking transaction. New York partners Stuart Morrissy and Mehtap Cevher Conti led the team.

In Project Finance (Energy), the firm acted as one of the counsel to EnfraGen in a US$1.76 billion renewables financing, one of the largest power projects in Latin America last year. EnfraGen raised US$710 million in a project bond issuance and a further US$1 billion through a pari passu loan. The Hogan Lovells team was led by partner José Luis Vázquez with support from fellow partner Juan Garicano, both based in our Madrid office. 

According to Latin Lawyer,  the winning deals all demonstrated innovative legal work at a level of complexity that broke new parameters in the jurisdictions where they took place. The lawyers involved performed extraordinary work, and the impact and significance of the deals go well beyond the negotiating table. The winning deals were chosen from more than 600 nominations. 

More details on the firm’s Latin America practice group can be found here.