Overview
Priya Taneja focuses her practice on a range of debt capital markets and structured finance transactions advising on bond issuances, securitisations and debt restructurings. She represents issuers/borrowers, noteholders, servicers, corporate service providers, trustees/successor trustees, security agents and bond agents together with other capital market participants. In relation to securitisations, Priya advises across a range of asset classes including residential mortgages, commercial mortgages, trade receivables, ABS (including auto loans and auto leases) and green securitisations. Priya is recognised as having market leading expertise in acting for corporate trust clients on new deals and post-closing matters across high yields, securitisations and MTN programmes as well as general banking deals. She advises on complex restructurings, defaults, amendments and related trustee discretion matters as well as general litigation concerning trustees and agents. Priya is also chair of the Women’s Corporate Trust Network – a global network of women working in the corporate trust and agency industry.
Priya has a particular focus on emerging markets having advised on India related finance and capital markets work. She also has a real passion towards making a difference through impact finance. As an integral member of McDermott Will & Emery’ s Impact Finance practice, Priya has advised on some of the most innovative and ground-breaking transactions in the social impact finance and financial inclusion sector around the world, acting for investors, outcome funders, governments, service providers, transaction/project managers, evaluators and many other market related participants.
Results
DCM and Structured Finance
- Represented the issuer across eight pre-2008 legacy Lehman Brothers Japanese apartment loan securitizations, in relation to the transition from Yen Libor to the Tokyo Term Risk Free Rate
- Represented the issuer in relation to a complex restructuring with regard to a secured note programme backed by irrevocable payment undertakings
- Represented the collateral agent and administrative agent in relation to a USD 2 billion senior secured term loan facility, the largest term loan B facility in Asia’s technology sector
- Advised a global corporate trustee in relation to one of the largest financial, debt and corporate restructurings for Naviera Armas, S.A. and its subsidiaries (c. EUR 1 billion). The complex cross-border restructuring was implemented in pursuant to a Spanish law homologación judicial (effectively a Spanish scheme of arrangement)
- Advised Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch as fiscal agent, paying agent and transfer agent in relation to a EUR 1.765 billion multi-tranche bond transaction. In parallel, we advised Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas in its capacity as trustee and paying agent, with regard to a 144A high yield bond issuance, with the proceeds of both issuances being applied towards an acquisition
- Advised a global corporate trustee with regard to a complex bond issuance constituting an initial English law structured PIK issuance in order for the issuer to raise sufficient funds as part of its capital structure to bridge certain equity in order to complete an acquisition*
Impact Finance
- Advising the British Asian Trust in relation to the design and structuring of the first of its kind impact bond for improving the skills of young Indians and addressing the youth employment crisis, specifically that for young women
- Advised The Education Outcome Fund and UNICEF in setting up a joint fund structure, which involved the complexities around alignment between the outcomes based model in relation to EOF’s underlying education programs in various jurisdictions and conforming the contractual structure to the fund establishment within the composition of UNICEF. As a result of this important transaction, EOF now performs on a global fund platform; operating as an independent trust fund hosted by UNICEF who provide fund management, legal, procurement and administrative services to EOF
- Advised on the Educate Girls development impact bond, which was the first cross-border development impact bond targeting the education of children in Rajasthan*
- Advised the Palladium Group and the UBS Optimus Foundation on the structuring and legal aspects of the Utkrisht Bond, the world’s first and largest healthcare development impact bond, aimed at reducing mother and baby mortality in Rajasthan, India*
- Advised the British Asian Trust in relation to the Quality Education impact bond*
- Advised on a social impact bond in relation to the PAUSE programme in Derbyshire, United Kingdom*
Recognitions
- The Legal 500 UK, Recommended Lawyer in Finance: High Yield, 2019 – 2023
- The Legal 500 UK, Recommended Lawyer in Emerging Markets, 2019 – 2023
- The Lawyer Hot 100, 2017
- Citywealth Leaders List, Powerwoman Award 2020 Shortlist
Community
- Women’s Corporate Trust Network, Co-Chair
Credentials
Education
College of Law, LPC, 2006
Admissions
England & Wales
Languages
Hindi