Francisco Sainz-Trápaga

Francisco (Paco) is a banking lawyer who works on a wide range of domestic and cross-border transactions and is experienced across the key banking products (including acquisition financing, investment grade, leveraged, real estate and project financings and refinancing and restructuring deals). In recent years he has had a significant focus on R&I work.

Earlier in his career, Francisco completed a six-month secondment at Barclays in London in 2012 and a nine-month secondment at the Linklaters New York office in 2018.

Work highlights

• The lenders on the restructuring of DIA’s financial debt.
• OHL on its debt refinancing and continued negotiation with its lenders and bondholders.
• Cerberus on several acquisition financings in Spain.
• Permira on the acquisition debt in connection with its acquisition of Universidad Europea de Madrid.
• Carlyle on several acquisition financings in Spain.
• The lenders on the syndicated credit facilities to Merlin Properties SOCIMI for, among other purposes, the refinancing debt of Testa Inmuebles and Metrovacesa.

Francisco has been a part-time lecturer at several Spanish universities and he is currently a part-time lecturer at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. He regularly collaborates with legal publications.

He has been ranked as an “associate to watch” in banking and finance by the 2019 and 2020 editions of Chambers. They highlight that he is very good at complex deals and emphasize his attention to detail and commercial and practical approach. He is also ranked as a “next generation lawyer” by Legal 500 in banking and finance. He has been one of the finalists in the category of “Best under-35 lawyer in Spain” in the 2020 edition of the Expansion Law Awards organised by the leading Spanish business and financial newspaper Expansion.

Francisco is an active member of the Linklaters Madrid office People and Diversity Committee.

Francisco studied law and economics at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He studied one year at Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium.

Francisco is a member of the Madrid Bar, Spain.

He speaks Spanish and English.