Michael Speranza

Expertise

Michael is an experienced finance lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in real estate finance, corporate trustee default and general real estate.

Michael’s career has spanned both bull and bear markets, economic boom and credit crunch. He has seen the full spectrum of lending appetite, from the positivity of the early 2000s, to the economic collapse of 2008, to recovery to cautiousness. He has acted for lenders (institutional and challenger, high street bank and offshore fund), borrowers (developers, investors, owner operators, hotel brands and serviced apartment providers) and trustees on high profile insolvencies. Michael has acted across the whole lending timeline, from origination, through to servicing (both primary and secondary, for security trustees and facility agents), through to refinance and restructuring, including enforcement.

Michael has been recognised by the Legal 500 for providing ‘insightful advice’ and for being ‘reliable’.

Michael Advises

• High street lenders
• Property funds
• Challenger banks
• Developers
• Institutional investors
• Corporate trustees
• Servicers (security trustees, facility agents, etc)
• Hospitality (brands, owner operators, serviced apartment providers)

Experience Highlights

• The aAIM property fund, a number of £100m+ facilities to assist with the acquisition of high profile London landmark buildings;
• The funding of a number of landmark buildings in London for development into hotels;
• The purchase of properties around the UK for the purpose of developing photovoltaic energy parks;
• Many transactions over the years, from £1m to £100m+, for institutional and challenger lenders in respect of investment and development properties in the UK;
• The restructuring and close out of the £1,100m Dante multi issuer secured obligation programme following the collapse of Lehman Brothers; and
• Acting for the corporate trustee in relation to the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Career History

Previous Law firms

• Katten Muchin Rosenman (UK) LLP, Counsel (2015–2020)
• Reed Smith LLP, Counsel (2007–2015)
• AWB Partnership Associate (2005–2007)
• DLA Piper Associate (2003–2005)
• DJ Freeman, Trainee and Associate (1999–2003)

Memberships

• Law Society (1999–Present)

Education

• College of Law, York, LPC (1995–1996)
• University College London, LLB Law with Italian Law (1991–1995)
• Universita Degli Studi di Firenze, Certificate in Italian Law (1993–1994)

Other

• Bail-in and Contractual Recognition: The Impact on US and Other Non-EU Counterparties and the Potential Impact of Brexit (JD Supra)
• Brexit: The Impact on Commercial Real Estate (JD Supra)
• Brexit: An Unexpected Boost for UK Commercial Real Estate (Law 360)