Karen Couzyn is a partner in the Banking & Finance Practice Group and heads the debt capital markets team. Karen has a BComm. and LLB degrees from the University of the Witwatersrand and has been practising law for over 15 years.
She advises on all aspects of specialised finance transactions, particularly securitisation and other debt capital market transactions (including stand-alone debt issues, debt programmes, multi-seller conduits and re-packagings, both public and private) and advises on acquisition finance transactions.
Areas of expertise
Specialised finance transactions
Securitisations (domestic and cross border)
Other debt capital market transactions (including stand-alone debt issues, debt programmes, multi-seller conduits and re-packaging's, both public and private)
General banking finance, including acquisition finance
Corporate and commercial law
Top matters
Acquisition & Leveraged finance - Acting for a consortium including Actis, RMB, RMB Ventures and MIC Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited in relation to the acquisition of Tracker Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. [2011]
Leveraged finance - 2008 Private Equity Deal of the Year - acted for the Actis-led private equity consortium in relation to the funding for the acquisition of Alstom [2008];
Corporate bond – acted for Anglo American in relation to the establishment of a R20 billion Domestic Medium Term Note Programme by Anglo American SA Finance Limited, guaranteed by Anglo American plc [2008];
Bank EMTN – acted for The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited in relation to the update of their Euro Medium Term Note Programme to cater for the issue of hybrid Tier 1 Notes (US$2 billion) [2008];
International repackaging – acted for the joint lead arrangers in relation to the South African legal aspects of the Euro 212 million Note issuance in Ireland by Nitro International Securitisation Company 2 Plc, backed by South African collateral bonds issued by Nitro Securitisation 3 (Proprietary) Limited [2007].
Accolades
Named as a 'Leader in her field' for the area of Capital Markets by Chambers Global 2012.
Listed by Legal Experts EMEA 2012 - 2013 as an expert in her field.
Listed as a leading lawyer in the field of Capital Markets by IFLR1000 – Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions
Endorsed as a Capital Markets and Banking & Finance Lawyer by PLC Which Lawyer? 2008 - 2012
Named as a 'Leader in her field' for the area of Banking & Finance by Chambers Global 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Nominated for inclusion in the inaugural Guide to the World's Leading Women in Business Law 2010 - 2012 in the field of Structured Finance.
Nominated to appear in the 7th edition of the Guide to the World's Leading Capital Markets Lawyers 2010 as one of the outstanding practitioners in this field.
Nominated to appear in the 6th edition of the Guide to the World's Leading Structured Finance & Securitisation Lawyers 2010.
Selected for inclusion in The International Who's Who of Capital Markets Lawyers 2009 and 2010.
