Nikki Smythe

Nikki acts for credit funds, private equity funds, alternative investment funds, hedge funds, investment banks and other financial institutions in Australia and Asia on a broad range of financing transactions, largely in distressed or special situations contexts. She advises both borrowers and lenders on transactions involving special situations lending, rescue finance and restructurings, structured finance, complex real estate financing transactions and securitisation. Nikki also has extensive experience advising sellers, buyers and financiers on loan portfolio sales and related financings.

Nikki is experienced across a broad range of financing products and in a number of different sectors, including real estate, consumer finance, mining services and healthcare, and uses this experience to help clients find innovative and bespoke financing solutions that meet the needs of their specific situations.  

Nikki was recognised in 2020 by Best Lawyers as one of Australia’s leading lawyers in the area of Insolvency & Reorganisation. She is an active member of the Turnaround Management Association, and sat on the 2018 TMA national conference organising committee.

Some of the recent transactions on which Nikki has advised include:

• the senior creditors on the financing aspects of the solvent debt for equity restructuring of the BIS Industries group and subsequently the BIS Industries group on its first post-restructuring refinancing
• Deutsche Bank on its US$1.2bn cross-border financing of the acquisition by Key Safety Systems of the Takata Group out of multiple global insolvency processes
• Deutsche Bank, KKR and Värde Partners on the circa $6bn securitised financing of their acquisition of the GE consumer finance business (now Latitude Financial Services)
• Deutsche Bank and Bain Capital Credit on the structured financing of their acquisition of the GE commercial finance business

Background

Nikki holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales. She is admitted to practise in New South Wales.

Nikki has previously practised in London for a number of years at a premier law firm.