International law firm Withers has augmented its private capital debt finance team with the arrival of senior partner Jon Bond. Jon joins the firm from Charles Russell Speechlys, alongside senior associate Isobel Young-Herries.

Jon advises on debt finance across a wide range of asset classes, including residential and commercial real estate, retirement living and care homes, student accommodation and hospitals. He has experience of working with a variety of financing techniques including syndicated lending, real estate finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, mezzanine finance and shari’ah-compliant financing.

Jon represents funds, retail and private banks, property developers, institutional lenders and borrowers, private companies, high net worth investors and family offices. He has also advised leading clubs and governing bodies from a number of sports. Jon has significant experience in real estate finance, receivables finance and the emerging markets, including working with clients in Africa and the Middle East.

Isobel, who has worked with Jon for 10 years, has particular experience in real estate finance, acting for both borrowers and lenders across a wide variety of asset classes. She frequently works with UHNWs and clients with complex trust structures.

Jeremy Wakeham, CEO of the firm’s Business Division, comments: “Jon and Isobel are fantastic additions to our banking and finance team, with an impressive and substantial body of experience and, importantly, really close alignment with our focus on the use of private capital. Their skills provide further momentum to our strategic formation of a broad-based team which focuses on alternative sources of financing in the market outside of the mainstream banking sector.”

Jon adds: “Joining Withers presents really exciting opportunities to build stronger ties with private lenders, such as family offices and other non-bank lenders. The firm has a really strong foothold in the family office sector and amongst other sources of private capital. As mainstream lenders reduce their exposure to private debt markets there has been a surge in alternative lending activity, which needs the assistance of experienced advisors.”

Withers was joined last year by a commercial real estate team from Charles Russell Speechlys led by Simon Ewing and including partner Ruby Dalal.