Stephen is amazing. He continues to be one if not the best legal professional out there doing leveraged finance.”
- The Legal 500 UK, 2025
Stephen is a finance partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. He has worked in the debt markets for over 25 years, advising on leveraged and other structured finance including recaps, bank/bond financings, distressed financings, margin loans, ABLs and other asset-backed financings.
Stephen has acted on deals involving many of the major private equity sponsors active in Europe including Advent International, Apax, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Cinven, CVC, Hellman & Friedman, KKR, Lion Capital, Pamplona, Partners Group and Permira as well as credit funds including Ares Capital, Bain Capital Credit, Centerbridge, Goldentree, KKR Credit, Oaktree Capital and Park Square.
Stephen has been recognised:
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by Private Equity News as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Private Equity Lawyers” (2023)
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by Financial News and Private Equity News as one of the “Most Influential Lawyers” in Europe (2024, 2022)
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as the number one finance lawyer in The Chambers 100 List of UK Best Business Lawyers, where sources described him as “the adviser you want to have in your most complex and challenging deals”
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as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in Who’s Who Legal (2021)
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as being a “star player” in the London Legal market by The Times
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in Tier 1 and as an “Eminent Practitioner” for Banking & Finance in London in Chambers UK, Chambers Europe and Chambers Global (2013–2025)
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as a “Market Leader” for Banking, Financial Restructuring in IFLR1000 UK (2022)
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in The Lawyer “Hot 100” 2020, which celebrates the United Kingdom’s top lawyers acting on the most significant matters with creative flair
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in the “Hall of Fame” of The Legal 500 UK (2025)
