Dechert Continues Global Finance Expansion With London Partner and CLO Specialist Aaron Scott

Dechert LLP announced that Aaron Scott has joined the firm’s global finance practice as a partner based in London. Mr. Scott’s appointment is a key hire in the strategic growth of Dechert’s structured credit and CLO practice and follows the hire of New York-based CLO partner Jon Burke, who re-joined the firm in 2021. He joins a strong bench of CLO lawyers in London, including counsel Glenn Weston and senior associate Rory O’Connor. Dechert’s continued global expansion speaks to the tremendous recent growth in the structured credit and CLO space, as well as the significant growth potential the firm sees for its client base in the US$1.4 trillion private credit market. 

Mr. Scott specializes in structured finance and securitization with a focus on CLOs. He advises on a wide range of transactions for global financial institutions and has forged strong relationships with many European banks. Additionally, he advises on the EU regulatory aspects of U.S. CLOs (including risk retention and transparency requirements). He received a BSc in Psychology and a law degree from the University of Otago in New Zealand in 2012. He trained and worked as a lawyer in New Zealand before moving to London where, prior to joining Dechert, he worked in the structured finance practice of another international law firm.

Speaking on his arrival at Dechert, Mr. Scott said, “I am thrilled to be joining Dechert, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to help further enhance the firm’s already strong presence in the European commercial real estate finance and securitization markets.”

Laura Swihart, co-chair of Dechert’s global finance and real estate practice groups, said: “As CLOs continue to be one of the global finance market’s most innovative and important asset classes, investor demand for highly skilled lawyers like Aaron will continue to grow. We are delighted that Aaron is bringing his expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to Dechert.” Mr. Scott’s arrival also follows the recent announcement that John Timperio will join Ms. Swihart as co-chair, making him the first head of global finance and real estate from the structured credit and CLO side of the practice.

Gus Black, chair of Dechert’s London Management Committee, said: “Growing our ability to service both CLO arrangers and managers is a strategic focus for the firm. Aaron’s depth and breadth of knowledge will strengthen both our local and global client offering.”

Dechert is distinguished for having one of the top structured credit and CLO teams in the world, consistently at the forefront of the most innovative and challenging matters. The team serves a diverse global client base that includes some of the most prolific CLO underwriters as well as most of the largest asset managers and equity investors. Currently, Dechert works with over 50 CLO managers, more than any other law firm. 

Among its abundant accolades in this space, Dechert has recently been recognized as:

• Structured Finance Practice Group of the Year by Law360.
• CLO Law Firm of the Year by GlobalCapital in its U.S. Securitization Awards.
• Band 1 by Chambers USA for Securitization: CLOs.
• Named as A Leading Firm for Capital Markets: Securitization with areas of strength across ABS, CLO, CMBS and CRE CLO transactions by Chambers.
• Voted by clients as the law firm that provides The Best Service to U.S. CLO managers by the Creditflux CLO Census.
• Named Top Issuer’s Counsel for U.S. CLOs by Deal Volume and Deal Count by Asset-Backed Alert.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 21 offices around the world. The firm advises on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.