LONDON – Continuing the strategic expansion of its market-leading global finance practice, Paul Hastings LLP announced today that Patrick Bright, a leader in European high-yield transactions, has joined the firm as a partner in London.

Adding more strength to the firm’s robust team, the move brings together Bright’s preeminent high-yield practice and the top-ranked 15-lawyer leveraged finance group that previously joined to form a powerhouse team capable of handling the most complex transactions across the finance spectrum and around the world.

“Patrick has a stellar reputation as one of the leading high-yield lawyers in the London and global markets,” said Paul Hastings Chair Frank Lopez. “Patrick strengthens our premier London and global finance platform as a destination for the entire capital structure in the most complex finance transactions.”

Bright has deep experience advising investment banks, sponsors, corporates, and funds on high-yield offerings, leveraged and acquisition financings, bond restructurings, and other capital markets transactions, including financings for Verisure, Kantar, Biofarma, TeamSystem, Itelyum, Paprec, Kiloutou, Infopro, Very Group, and Aston Martin.

Bright is consistently ranked by Legal 500, Chambers UK, and IFLR1000 as a top practitioner in the high-yield space and he previously led the European high-yield team at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

“We’re delighted to have Patrick join our team,” said Ross Anderson, London office co-chair and a partner in the global finance practice. “Patrick’s market reputation and experience in executing transactions in key European jurisdictions will be a boon for our clients and aligns with several of the new teams that have joined this year in London and across our global footprint.”

“With the focus on finance and its strategy of consistently elevating the global finance practice, Paul Hastings is the place to be for lawyers who want to practice at the highest level and for clients who want to take advantage of this experience and the benefits that come with that,” said Bright. “I’ve been involved in transactions with the firm’s lawyers and I’m excited to now be on the same team.”

The addition of Bright brings to 10 the number of 2022 London partner hires for Paul Hastings and reflects the continued momentum of the firm’s London office, which posted a 41% revenue increase in 2021. Globally, the firm has added more than 40 partners across practices, including finance, M&A, private equity, structured credit, securities and capital markets, IP litigation, and leveraged finance.

Bright marks the second addition in two weeks to the firm’s elite global finance team after Morgan Bale joined in New York. These moves are on the heels of the Band 1 team that joined in London and other recent strategic additions in which the firm has attracted premier talent across diverse practices, including investigations and white collar defense, M&A and shareholder activism, financial restructuring, infrastructure and energy transition, financial services investigations, regulation and litigation, and real estate.

The Paul Hastings global finance practice advises virtually every leading investment bank and the largest and most prestigious asset managers in finance and capital-raising transactions. The firm is recognized as one of the world’s premier platforms in leveraged finance, private credit, capital markets and structured credit domestic and cross-border transactions.

About Paul Hastings

With widely recognized elite teams in finance, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, restructuring and special situations, litigation, employment and real estate, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm providing superior intellectual capital and execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations. For more information, visit www.paulhastings.com.