Claire Wheatley RWK Goodman

Claire Wheatley

Partner

Financial Services Sector | Construction and Engineering | Corporate | Financial Services | International | Real Estate | Property Conveyancing

About Claire

Claire is a qualified barrister and solicitor. She enjoys drafting, negotiating and business development, with equal skills in each.

Claire specialises in banking work – including property finance (investment and development), acquisition finance, corporate finance, project finance, art finance and capital markets – acting for borrowers and lenders, including all the main UK Banks.

She has been rated as a leader in her field in the Chambers’ directory, with one client commenting “she gets straight to the heart of the matter”.

She has over 35 years’ in-depth knowledge and experience of banking, including secured and unsecured lending, leveraged finance, intercreditor issues, securitisations and restructuring.

In recent years, Claire has specialised in property finance and has been extremely successful in building strong relationships with numerous lenders (including international banks), property companies, entrepreneurs and small/medium sized companies.

Claire has particular expertise in the hotel and leisure, social housing, health and education, care home, church and art funding sectors.

Claire also advises on complex structures, including junior, mezzanine and senior finance. She has drafted the suite of banking and security documents for a challenger bank (which is now well established) and for an international bank.

Experience

Claire has acted on transactions from USD 600 million to a £100,000, covering art, property and corporate across various sectors.

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Claire has financed Ronny Scott’s, Floridita restaurant, the Baltic Exchange, acted for a consortium that operated the tri-service helicopter flying school (involving buying helicopters from Bell and Eurocopter, in tandem) and raising USD107 million secured on a portfolio of 19 well known paintings.

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Claire also completed one of the first large commercial loans in Budapest for a consortium of previously state owned banks to fund a hotel complex.

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Claire has also drafted Philip Morris sponsorship agreements for a range of Formula 1 racing car drivers, acted for HMG on the water privatisation and on the Chanel 4 application for their new licence.

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Claire is used to operating in new and exciting areas and disciplines.

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Financial Headwinds. Are we banking on uncertainty?

In this report, we share the results of our conversations with leading banks, alternative lenders and borrowers.

Given the powerful links between finance and property, the downturn in the real estate market and predictions over the fall in property prices have wide-ranging implications for the banking industry. Our contributors share their views on the ongoing property price correction, prospects for the development of infrastructure and what lending options borrowers are choosing in the current market.

Read the report

“Claire is always available and willing to help, she goes beyond just completing the instruction and has assisted the bank whenever requested, usually at very short notice. Claire also worked closely with the bank’s legal team in India and they were impressed with the advice and support she provided. Claire is also happy to introduce you to her network of professionals.”

“What is great about Claire, is she always goes about her business with a smile on her face and I personally recommend her services.”

Stephen Clements
ICICI Bank

Learn more about Claire's areas of expertise:

financial services sector
Banking & Financial Services
When it comes to doing business in the evolving financial services landscape, we have proven time and time again to be experts in delivering pragmatic and high quality advice.
Corporate
We are a dynamic, forward thinking team of corporate lawyers with the technical knowledge and experience necessary to get deals done.
Banking and Financial Services litigation
A diverse set of Banking and Financial Services lawyers who advise on transactions, banking litigation and recovery situations, financial services regulatory matters and insolvency.
Real Estate
Real Estate is a core part of most businesses and requires careful structuring and planning in order to maximise returns and drive profits. Our real estate lawyers advise on the myriad of issues affecting real estate as an asset class; from advising on the best funding structures for acquiring real estate to joint venture arrangements for development projects.
Corporate and international banking
Our highly regarded corporate, banking and real estate specialists are here to advise on all aspects of corporate and international banking, including cross-border transactions.
health and social construction
Property development, construction and finance
We act for operators, developers, construction companies and lenders in the care sector, delivering a partner-led, cost-effective and knowledgeable service.
International lawyers
With many global clients, a significant amount of RWK Goodman’s work is international. We regularly work for both private individuals and businesses to meet their legal requirements around the world.
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