Claire Williams

Claire Williams is a Partner in the Firm’s Credit Practice, based in the London office and concentrating on infrastructure debt finance matters. She represents financial sponsors and their portfolio companies on complex cross-border financings across a wide range of infrastructure asset classes (including energy and energy transition, regulated utilities, transport and digital infrastructure). Claire has extensive experience on senior and subordinated financing structures for acquisition (including public-to-private), capex roll-out and refinancing transactions and regularly advises clients on multi-source and rated debt raisings.

Claire’s recent work highlights include advising:

• KKR Infrastructure in connection with financing for:
  • its voluntary tender offer to acquire Greenvolt
  • its takeover offer to acquire ContourGlobal
  • its takeover offer to acquire Ocean Yield A/S
  • its takeover offer to acquire Quantafuel
• A Blackrock-led consortium in connection with partial refinancings of an acquisition bridge facility for their investment in Aramco’s Gas Pipelines
• Blackstone in connection with financing its voluntary tender offer to acquire Atlantia S.p.A.
• ContourGlobal in connection with a platform refinancing for its renewable power generation business
• EQT in connection with financing for its acquisition of Statera Energy
• Equitix in connection with the refinancing of certain holdco acquisition facilities
• John Laing in connection with the refinancing of certain holdco acquisition and development facilities
• John Laing in connection with financing the acquisition of a portfolio of assets from AMP Capital’s Irish Infrastructure Fund
• Q-Park in connection with a senior secured note issuance and amend and extend of its existing super senior revolving credit facility
• Viridor in connection with its first investment grade rated multi-source financing structure to refinance existing debt in its EfW business

Chambers UK named Claire an “Up and Coming Partner” in its 2024 guide. She was also named a “Rising Star of Legal Services” by Financial News and a “UK Female Rising Star” by Law.com International in 2023.

Prior to joining Simpson Thacher, Claire was a senior associate in a magic circle law firm in London and spent time on secondment to 3i Infrastructure.

Claire's experience prior to Simpson Thacher included representing:

• A consortium of Blackrock, Goldman Sachs and Mubadala in connection with the take private of Calisen plc
• Global Infrastructure Partners in connection with a refinancing for Edinburgh Airport
• Macquarie in connection with its acquisition of Currenta
• A consortium of Allianz and Macquarie in connection with their acquisition of Elenia
• A consortium of Macquarie and Danish pension funds in connection with their takeover offer for TDC
• A consortium led by Macquarie and CIC Capital in connection with the acquisition of a majority stake in National Grid's gas distribution business
• 3i Infrastructure in connection with:
• a refinancing for the Wireless Infrastructure Group
• various institutional debt raisings for Scandlines
• the refinancing of Belfast City Airport
• InfraCapital in connection with the acquisition and refinancing of Energetics
• Antin in connection with a refinancing and bolt-on acquisitions for Eurofiber