People / Emma Russell

Emma Russell

Partner

T +44 (0)20 8734.2807

F +44 (0)20 8737.2820

London

Emma Russell is a partner and head of the Finance Practice Group in the London office of Haynes and Boone. Emma is an experienced loan finance lawyer with extensive knowledge in global fund finance, real estate finance transactions, and structured and specialty finance, as well as more general experience in acquisition, leverage, and general corporate finance.

Emma is recognized in Banking & Finance: Fund Finance in Chambers UK 2023-2024, Chambers and Partners where clients describe her as “one of the best fund finance partners in the market” and praise her ability to provide “demystified commercial advice on how to get through complex legal situations”. Emma has also been highlighted in The Legal 500 UK, Legalese, in 2023-2024 where she is described as “sought after” for her “expertise in the fund finance space”. Emma also sits on the Board of the Fund Finance Association (FFA) and the Board of the Women in Fund Finance group (WFF). In 2022 Emma was named one of the Most Influential in the Fund Finance Industry by The Drawdown publication. The team she heads up also won Funds Finance Advisor of the Year at The Drawdown Awards 2022.

Her practice focuses on the full range of fund lending products across all fund sectors, (including private equity, real estate, secondaries, infrastructure, and hedge) from capital call facilities, hybrid/NAV facilities, to general partner support, co-invest facilities and portfolio acquisition facilities and assisting funds with structuring. Emma has significant experience advising credit funds and their lenders in relation to leverage facilities to CLO’s/CDO’s and securitization vehicles.

Emma's experience also includes advising both lenders and funds on private equity, receivables financing, asset based lending, specialty finance, real estate fund structuring, and acting for both lenders and sponsors in relation to investment and development real estate finance and leverage restructurings.

Emma has spent significant time working in-house with various financial institutions during her career. She has gained varied experiences with both business and legal teams across all lending sectors.

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Selected Client Representations

Fund Finance

Acting for a US Lender in relation to the $500 million capital call facility for a leading private equity secondaries fund and subsequent accession.
Acting for a Syndicate of Lenders in relation to the €800 million in re-financing of Funds VIII and IX of one of the largest Global Buy-Out Funds.
Acting for a UK Lender in relation to the £100 million facility to an energy and infrastructure fund.
Acting for UK Lender in relation to the $100 million subscription credit facility to one of the world’s largest private equity and investment advisory funds.
Acting for one of Europe’s leading real estate managers in respect of the launch of Fund IV and the €103 million multi-option revolving credit equity bridge facility to be provided by a Channel Islands Lender.
Acting for a European Infrastructure Fund IV in respect of the €300 million multi-currency revolving bridge facility to be provided to it by a UK Lender.
Acting for a UK Lender in respect of the €60 million financing for a credit fund.
Acting for European Credit Fund in respect of the £35 million equity bridge financing from a UK Lender.
Acting for UK Lender in respect of the £212 million revolving finance to a UK Institutional Infrastructure Fund.
Acting for a UK Lender in relation to the €100 million gearing facility to for a leading global investment firm with committed capital in excess of €32 billion.

Property Finance

Acting for a UK Lender in respect of the £35 million property investment facility to a UK Real Estate Fund.
Acting for European private equity investment firm in respect of the £276 million purchase of a group of garden centers.
Acting for a UK Lender in relation to the restructuring of the £175 million property investment facility to Industrial Property Investment Fund and £30 million refinancing a shopping center in Colchester and £48 million refinancing of an industrial estate in Derby.
Acting for a Real Estate Investment Fund, in relation to the £200 million secondaries fund financing of an Italian Real Estate Fund.
Acting for a Swiss Lender in respect of the £1.8 billion development finance to a Developer in respect of its acquisition and development of an iconic property near London Bridge.
Acting for UK property developers on raising £1.2 billion from a syndicate of European banks in respect of the refinance of the acquisition and future development of an iconic multi-use commercial and residential property in Knightsbridge.

Acquisition Finance

Acting for a UK investment fund on its proposed €1.46 billion bid for a listed luggage manufacturer.
Acting for an Irish bank in the refinancing of the UK’s largest privately-owned marketing services company and the provision of further acquisition facilities for the acquisition of a European marketing consultancy company.

Qualifications

Education

LL.B. (Hons.), University of Strathclyde Dip LP Glasgow Graduate School of Law, 1999

Admissions

Scotland