Lewis Gaut knows more about European football clubs than most lawyers, having developed a specialism in sports finance. As co-lead of Goodwin’s global Sports, Gaming and Gambling team, he regularly works on transactions involving club acquisitions, stadium financing, and media rights deals across Europe. He has advised creditors and investors on Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium financing, Eagle Football on its acquisition of Olympic Lyonnaise, and FC Barcelona on its €1.5bn Camp Nou renovation. "As a finance lawyer, you’re trained to think through every possible scenario. Over time, I’ve learned that the best way is to remain calm and put the issue into perspective. Almost always, problems are not as bad as you think. Stepping back, assessing the risk, and breaking the issue down into manageable steps helps turn panic into a plan," Gaut said. "Co-leading the cross-border team of lawyers that developed a novel finance structure for FC Barcelona’s €1.5bn stadium financing, a transaction many market participants believed would not succeed. The deal has since become a blueprint for institutional investors financing complex stadium projects."
Read the Financial News article for more.