Mees Roelofs

As a banking partner, Mees advises international and domestic financial institutions, funds and corporates on a broad range of banking transactions, including corporate lending, leveraged finance, syndicated lending and asset-backed financing, as well as on structuring and restructuring transactions. Mees also advises both issuers and underwriters on structured products such as securitisations, covered bonds and bespoke derivatives. 

With sustainability features being increasingly front of mind in each of the products on which he advises, Mees has been equally leading in shaping the market for sustainability-linked loans and other sustainability-related elements in the Netherlands, notably including introducing checks and balances necessary to address potential greenwashing allegations. 

Mees has lived and worked in Germany, Italy and the UK, providing him with insight into different markets and valuable cross-cultural experience that allows him to close deals in a way that works best for all relevant parties whatever their background.

Work highlights

Mees has advised on many cross-border banking and finance transactions. Highlights of his work include advising:

• Heineken: advising the lenders on the Dutch brewer’s USD 3.5bn syndicated backstop facilities
• Danske Bank and Bank of America: advising on an acquisition bridge facility for Swedish Orphan Biovitrium to back the public offer for CTI BioPharma Corp
• ASR: advising the arrangers on the bridge financing to support the Dutch insurer’s acquisition of AEGON Nederland, and the subsequent refinancing of the entire business combination
• ING Bank: advising on the borrowing base facilities for Varo Energy
• Dutch government: advising on the EUR 2.4bn COVID-19 support package to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, including a subordinated loan and a guarantee
• CBRE: advising on various fund-level financings for funds holding real estate assets all over Europe.

Mees studied Dutch law at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, and for a master’s in European and private law at Heidelberg University, Germany.

He speaks Dutch, English, German, Italian and French.

• “Toetsing van stemgedrag door een pandhouder”  Ondernemingsrecht, 2023
• “Cash pooling: the position of directors and creditors” published in the Dutch Financial Law Review
• “(Voor?)tijdige nakoming: over de rechtsgevolgen van bedongen termijnen en van nakoming voor ommekomst van die termijn”, Rechtspraak Contractenrecht, 2013
• Chapter on The Netherlands in Aircraft Finance, Hames and McBain, 2007, co-written with Loet Venrooy
• “The Insolvency of Van der Hoop Bankiers: EU banking law in action”, International Corporate Rescue, 2006, co-written with Paul Kuipers
• “Judicial Comity and Chauvinism: the need to go forum shopping in insolvency matters”, International Corporate Rescue, 2004, co-written with Paul Kuipers