European law firm Field Fisher Waterhouse has strengthened its finance group with the hire of partner Philip Abbott from Simmons & Simmons. He will join the firm at the end of March.

Philip is a banking and finance lawyer with extensive experience of advising lenders and borrowers on a wide range of transactions. His practice has a strong focus on funds finance, real estate finance and restructurings.

His experience of fund finance has seen him advise on equity bridge facilities, NAV base lending in the hedge fund sector as well as more traditional lending to and from funds.

Philip’s practice has a significant focus on the emerging markets, in particular Libya, Turkey and the Middle East. He advises a wide range of clients, and while his primary focus is on lenders – including German banks, investment banks and the commercial banks – he also acts for hedge funds, real estate funds and corporate borrowers.

Philip has been with Simmons & Simmons since 2003. The bulk of his time with the firm has been spent as a partner in its London finance practice, with an interlude in its Dubai office as the head of regional finance for the Middle East from 2008-2010.

Prior to joining Simmons & Simmons, he was an associate with Allen & Overy and qualified in 1996.

Field Fisher Waterhouse managing partner Michael Chissick said: ‘The addition of a senior partner such as Philip to our finance group is a great addition to an already strong team. We have made a number of lateral hires into the group over the past 12 months, and with Philip’s arrival we feel that we are in a better position than ever to service our clients’ needs.

‘The breadth of his experience, in particular his work in the emerging markets, makes him a good fit for the group.’

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