Capital Markets

Cleary Gottlieb is an acknowledged leader in U.S. and international capital markets practice. Issuers and market participants throughout the world rely on us for the most current advice on disclosure and corporate governance matters, corporate and securities regulatory issues and transactional structuring. We regularly advise issuers and underwriters throughout the world on company-critical and precedent-setting financings, which span the spectrum of capital markets transactions. The firm was among the first to recognize the importance of the global marketplace, with the opening of its Paris office in 1949. The scope and depth of our international resources are among the firm’s historic strengths and allow us to offer clients seamless advice across markets in their worldwide financing activities.


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Practice Highlights What Others Say About Our Practice

Citi in $19 Billion Equity Offerings

Reliance Power in India’s Largest IPO

Sberbank, Russia’s Largest Bank, in $8.85 Billion Equity Offering

Leading Italian Biotech Company in IPO

Eurasian Natural Resources in $2.7 Billion IPO

World's Largest Iron Ore Miner in Latin America’s Largest Convertible Bond Offering Ever

Sony Financial Holding in IPO

Mexican Stock Exchange in Landmark $385 Million IPO

ArcelorMittal in $1.75 Billion De-Listing Cash Offer for Brazilian Stainless Steel Subsidiary

VMware in $1.1 Billion IPO; Largest Tech IPO Since 2004

Natixis in Tier 1 Offerings Totaling More Than $1 Billion

Goldman Sachs in its First “Blank Check” Initial Public Offering

Global Capital Markets Law Firm of the Year
Chambers Global (2007)
Capital Markets Team of the Year
Chambers USA (2007)
Americas Debt & Equity-Linked Deal of the Year
(Citigroup’s $7.5 billion sale of Upper DECS
Equity Units to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority)
International Financial Law Review (2007)
U.S. Equity Issue of the Year
(VMWare’s IPO)
International Financing Review (2007)
Latin America Deal of the Year
(TAM's $300 million bond offering)
AirFinance Journal (2007)
U.S. IPO of the Year and Equity Deal of the Year
(Mastercard’s IPO)
International Financing Review, International Financial Law Review (2006)
Korea Deal of the Year, Asia Equity Deal of the Year 
(Samsung Card’s IPO)
FinanceAsia (2007)
International Financial Law Review (2007)
Asia-Pacific Equity Issue of the Year and IPO of the Year 
(Sony Financial’s IPO)
International Financing Review, Thomson Financial DealWatch (2007)
Deal of the Year
(Lotte Shopping’s IPO)
Asian-Counsel (2006)
Best Local Currency Deal
(América Móvil’s 8 billion peso 2036 Offering)
LatinFinance (2007)
Best Follow-On Equity Deal
(Usiminas’ $1 billion equity offering)
LatinFinance (2007)
Debt & Equity-Linked Deal of the Year
(Deutsche Bank's $200 million contingent note offering)
International Financial Law Review (2007)
CEEMEA Equity Issue of the Year
(Rosneft's IPO)
International Financing Review (2006)
#3 Managers’ Counsel in Global Bonds
Bloomberg (2007 Rankings, volume and deal count)
#1 Issuers’ Counsel in Euromarket High Yield (excluding emerging markets)
Bloomberg (2007 Rankings, volume and deal count)
#2 Managers’ Counsel in EMEA IPOs
Bloomberg (2007 Rankings, volume and deal count)
#3 Issuers’ Counsel in Euromarket Bonds
Bloomberg (2007 Rankings, U.S.-based law firms, volume)
“‘Absolutely outstanding and ultra-sophisticated’ . . . . In every jurisdiction where it has a presence, the firm has built a critical mass of leading local and US-qualified lawyers ‘who operate in leaner teams, but at a higher intellectual level than their competitors - a perfectly cost-effective business model.’”
Chambers Global (2008)
“Commended for both its debt and equity work, the capital markets team fields US and UK-qualified lawyers who work across the region, from India and Indonesia to the PRC. The firm is also well known for its ‘top-class Korea team.’”
Chambers Global (2008)
“‘Wonderfully experienced – they combine decades of securities law experience both as regulatory and transactional practitioners and are rightly considered the leading experts for securities law in the USA.”
Chambers Global (2008)
“The firm’s ‘remarkable international alignment’ continues to impress commentators [as does its] ‘dominant profile’ in the domestic capital markets. … [Cleary Gottlieb] possesses ‘the best insight into US securities regulations - they drew the roadmap to Sarbanes-Oxley.’”
Chambers USA (2008)

“It is widely accepted that Cleary Gottlieb is ‘the only US-headquartered law firm able to cut it with the magic circle for capital markets work across Europe.’ Indeed, the sheer quality of the lawyers is nothing short of legendary, with one source remarking: ‘They are all outstanding - excellence is their global language.’”
Chambers Europe (2008)
“‘The sheer quality of its lawyers is legendary - ‘take any one of them, they are all outstanding’ - and commentators consider the team ‘great for high-risk deals.’”
Chambers Europe (2008)
“Combining size and scope, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton stands among the very few firms to excel across the board. Clients continue to be impressed by the firm’s ‘groundbreaking approach to the debt markets…no-one inspires the same level of trust and reliability.’”
The US Legal 500 (2008)

“The firm is today crowned ‘the global capital markets practice par excellence’ and ‘a model of integration.’”
Chambers Global (2007)
“‘They are our first port of call when we need a quick and accurate answer on extremely complex matters - the rapidity and quality of their responses in difficult situations has yet to be matched.’”
Chambers USA (2007)
“Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has, with relatively small offices in key locations, developed over the last 25 years an enviable position on cross-border equity capital markets transactions.”
The American Lawyer (2006) 
“'Top-notch' legal advice"
LatinFinance (2006)