jkafcas@crowell.com

London

Jennifer Kafcas is a partner in the London Office, and is a member of the firm’s Corporate and Financial Services groups. Jennifer’s practice focuses on advising major investment banks and private equity funds in connection with derivatives products.

Jennifer’s practice includes particular experience in structuring and advising multinational institutions and funds on:

• Fixed income and foreign exchange
• Power hedging and commodities transactions
• Derivatives forming an integral part of a leveraged finance, high-yield bond issuance, project or infrastructure transactions whether on a deal contingent, vanilla or secured basis.
• Repackaging transactions
• Holdco and fund-level derivatives transactions
• Securities lending
• Sustainable derivatives
• Standalone ISDA negotiations

Having worked on a considerable volume of high-profile transactions in the European, U.K. and U.S. market over the years, she brings strong market intelligence and structuring expertise to any deal or transaction.

Jennifer has extensively published highly regarded thought leadership on the upcoming LIBOR cessation and the issues facing the derivatives market in this respect.  She is currently advising various major financial institutions on these issues, the 2021 ISDA Definitions and the interplay between the swap and cash product instruments. In addition, Jennifer is an active participant within International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). Through her participation, she is on-top of the latest ISDA documentation and market trends ensuring that clients are also kept up to speed in real time.

Representative Matters

• Advised a major investment bank in its capacity as mandated hedge provider in relation to the financing aspects of a £4.2 billion acquisition.  The deal was one of the largest European private equity buyouts since the coronavirus pandemic.
• Advised a major investment bank in connection with a complex deal contingent transaction in relating to a take private transaction of a consortium of private equity funds’ £1.4 billion recommended cash offer for a major PLC.
• Advised major investment bank in its capacity as hedge coordinator on two finance packages worth approximately EUR 1 billion relating to the construction and maintenance of 15 stations on the Barcelona Metro.
• Advised a major financial institution with respect to its LIBOR remediation process as a result of the discountenance of LIBOR.
• Advised a major US bank in connection with its commodity trading business lines worth $750m.
• Advised a major investment bank in structuring complex deal contingent derivative product in connection with €1.6bn investment in a wind farm in Germany.
• Advised a major investment bank in structuring a complex deal contingent derivative product in connection with the acquisition finance for a major Portuguese fibre business valued at €630m.

Speaking Engagements

"A Tale of Two Cities: Secured Finance-Linked Swaps in HY Bonds and Leveraged Loans. A US/UK Comparison, “In partnership with Covenant Review, 2016.

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Affiliations