Jennifer Kafcas
Partner at McGuireWoods, London
We chat to Jennifer Kafcas about her work and ambitions, and we reveal a surprising alternative career choice if things had been different for this London based lawyer
Jennifer, what’s your role at McGuireWoods?
I am Partner and Head of Derivatives and Structured Finance within the Debt
Finance Practice.
What attracted you to the firm?
Its down to earth approach to management and pragmatism coupled with the
opportunity to work within a top-class debt finance practice.
What kind of work do you focus on and for whom?
I focus on fixed-income and foreign exchange, deal contingent instruments,
commodities, standalone ISDA negotiations and integral derivative
transactions forming part of an M&A, infrastructure project, leveraged or
high yield transaction.
How have you grown and developed the team since you arrived?
We have hired two outstanding associates in Lauren Blaber and Alvino
Van Schalkwyk who support the practice. In
addition, the team has, together, growing the client base and has been key in
bringing in work from two high profile investment banks.
Where do you want it to be in five years’ time?
I would like the team and client base to grow by
50%.
What has been the most rewarding - or most high profile project - that you’ve been involved in?
The most rewarding work I do is for a major investment bank which not only
challenges me but has been incredibly loyal to me and the practice for the last
13 years. It is this through this relationship year on year that allows
me to work on some of the most complicated and interesting transactions in
the leveraged finance, HY and infrastructure markets.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
Tim Peterson who is a Partner at Milbank.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what would you do and why?
An international house DJ; I love music!
What words best sum you up as a lawyer?
Strong commercial acumen and market intelligence coupled with a desire to be
efficient and understand what is important to clients.
Finally, how do you like to switch off at the end of the day?
I spend time with my family and in particular my three children.
