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Xavier Guzman

He/himPartner
Combining 'a unique set of great technical and soft skills,' team head Xavier Guzman provides a 'hands-on and pragmatic approach' to clients.
Legal 500
About

Xavier Guzman is a Banking, Finance and Restructuring lawyer. He has in-depth experience on cross-border banking and finance work (including secured lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, energy finance, sports finance, and funds finance), bond issuances, securitisation and restructuring.

Xavier has created close client relationships to be at the forefront of his clients' needs by thinking innovatively. He regularly advises a vast panel of banks and financial institutions, alternative credit providers, asset managers, private equity houses, real estate investment structures, (re)insurance companies, and other international corporates.

Much of the work that he does is the Luxembourg element of complex projects, advising clients on their finance, acquisition and restructuring needs for business activities that span across multiple jurisdictions.

He regularly publishes articles and newsflashes, and speaks about market insights to clients and players on the changes in legislation, trends and other important events of the Luxembourg legal market and financial services industry.

 
Professional QualificationsAvocat à la Cour admitted to the Barreau de Luxembourg, 2010

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising EIG Global Energy Partners, a leading institutional investor to the global energy sector and one of the world’s leading infrastructure investors, on the Luxembourg aspects of multi-billion financing related to the acquisition of a stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company.
  • Advised Energy Infrastructure Partners AG in the structuring, negotiation and implementation of the financing of the acquisition of a stake in a worldwide Spanish leader in renewable energy.
  • Advising 3R Petroleum Óleo e Gás S.A., a major Brazilian energy company, on the complex financing of the acquisition of the Potiguar cluster from Petrobras.
  • Advising Harrison Street in relation to an approximately EUR200m financing for the acquisition and development of a residential asset, and subsequent fund commitments agreed therein.
  • Advising the Carlyle group on the Luxembourg aspects of several real estate external debt financings relating to the acquisition and development of distribution logistics assets located in France, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Finland.
  • Advising Lone Star Capital on the due diligence, financing and acquisition of Propertize Bank in the Netherlands including, inter alia, the due diligence, corporate, real estate, finance and restructuring matters pertaining to real estate assets located in 12 jurisdictions and the underlying loans for a total value of EUR5.6bn (Project Swan).
  • Advising Nielsen Bidco US Inc and its Luxembourg subsidiary on (i) the tender offer, the consent solicitation and the change of control offers for senior notes issued by The Nielsen Company (Luxembourg) S.à r.l. and other entities of the group, (ii) the c. USD9 billion first and second lien financing for the acquisition of the Nielsen group, and (iii) the offering of USD1.96bn senior secured notes.
  • Advising regularly Macquarie on complex financings in the logistics real estate sector.
  • Advising Herbalife Ltd. and its Luxembourg subsidiaries on the refinancing through a USD1.45bn senior credit facilities.
  • Advising an international coatings manufacturer on its corporate and finance restructuring.
  • Advising the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, one of the leading bank in mobilising private finance for green economies, in the negotiation and implementation of an approximately EUR250m financing relating to the acquisition and development of logistic and light industrial facilities pursuant to a Green Finance Framework.
  • Advising Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale on several debt financing, including a complex combined share and asset deals, and the related senior financing with a total volume of approximately EUR166m and a senior financing in the mid three-digit million range relating the acquisition of the landmark Highlight Towers building in Munich.
  • Advising a US asset manager on the strategy and implementation of a scheme to take back the shares in a French pharmaceutical company.
  • Advising FMS Wertmanagement on the sale of a pan-European portfolio of mortgaged loans for approx. EUR580m (Project Hieronymus).
Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish
Education
  • Luxembourg Bar School (cours complémentaires), University of Luxembourg, 2008
  • Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, Master Degree in International Business Law, 2006

RECOGNITIONS

  • Xavier was rated in Legal 500 as "Next Generation Partner" (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) and considered for being "an extraordinarily competent partner in Luxembourg"
  • "Xavier Guzman has a very broad knowledge of the industry and the market, is extremely experienced, professional, reliable and responsive and at the same time very pleasant to work with." Legal 500, 2023
  • "Xavier Guzman combines a unique set of great technical and soft skills. His hands-on and pragmatic approach permit clients to get matters completed in a seamless fashion." Legal 500, 2022
  • "Xavier Guzman is always proactive and provides valuable input." Legal 500, 2021
  • "Xavier Guzman never lets us down, which is key to being successful in this changing and challenging environment." Legal 500, 2020
  • Xavier was rated in Leaders League as "Recommended", 2020, 2021, 2022
  • Xavier was rated in IFLR1000 as "Notable practitioner", 2022
  • Xavier was rated in IFLR1000 as "Rising star" and considered for being "very responsive", 2019, 2020, 2021
  • Xavier was considered in Legal 500 as "outstanding at worldwide restructuring projects", 2017

Publications

  • Asset-based finance in Luxembourg: A shift in lending structures, AGEFI, November 2023
  • Key considerations for bankruptcies of Luxembourg subsidiaries of international groups, The In-House Lawyer, July 2023
  • Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Restructuring & Insolvency, December 2021 and November 2022
  • Luxembourg Business Register: Upcoming requirements for individuals – get ready!, 4 November 2021
  • Clarity on financial assistance rules, April 2021
  • The new professional payment guarantee – Luxembourg reinforces its legal toolkit (ahead of Brexit), March 2021
  • Coronavirus in Luxembourg – extension of the flexibilities with respect to corporate bodies’ meetings, September 2020
  • Post-state of crisis flexibilities in Luxembourg, July 2020
  • Coronavirus in Luxembourg – An overview of the main measures adopted in the corporate, financial and insurance sectors, April 2020

Prior Experience

  • 2017 to date: Partner, DLA Piper, Luxembourg
  • 2015-17: Counsel, DLA Piper, Luxembourg
  • 2014-15: Senior Legal Counsel, International Insurance Company, Luxembourg
  • 2008-14: Senior Associate, International Law Firm, Luxembourg
  • 2013 (2 months): Secondment - US Law Firm, New York
  • 2007-08: Associate, Magic Circle Law Firm, Luxembourg
  • 2006: Associate, French Law Firm, Hong Kong

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Member of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Luxembourg Banker’s Association (ABBL)
  • Member of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce for Luxembourg and Belgium
  • Member of the Association of Banking Lawyers (Association des Juristes de Droit Bancaire) (ALJB) in Luxembourg

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