About Jennifer J. Kafcas

Head of the Structured Products and Derivatives practice, Jennifer Kafcas has over 20 years’ experience representing major investment banks and private equity funds with respect to derivatives products, whether as a stand-alone transaction or an integral part of a leveraged finance, a high-yield bond issuance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), a project or an infrastructure transaction, including on a finance-linked or deal-contingent basis.

Trusted adviser for sophisticated derivatives transactions

Her team is one of the only go-to full-service derivatives practices for finance-linked swap and deal-contingent transactions in the market. Taking an innovative approach, Jen’s team not only advises on the derivatives aspects of a transaction, but also on (a) finance-linked swap transactions and the underlying financing documentation; and (b) deal-contingent transactions involving regulatory, antitrust and other deal-closing conditions in infrastructure/projects and M&A corporate transactions. This broader perspective enables clients to evaluate the transaction holistically and analyze risk and deal certainty in the context of a derivatives instrument.

Seven major investment banks, which routinely consult Jen — and certain of them on an exclusive basis — value and trust Jen and the London team on all aspects of structured finance and derivatives law and practice across all major asset classes. Having worked on some of the most high-profile transactions in the Asian, European, UK, US and Latin American markets, she brings strong market intelligence and sound structuring counsel to any transaction.

Clients value the work and the constant attention Jen provides to their businesses. In particular, a major investment banking client was quoted in the Legal 500, noting that Jen and her team are “the best on the street by far … always timely, proactive and commercial.”

Jen is a regular participant on International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) committees and was a market trailblazer with respect to London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) replacement, writing more than 38 articles and blogs on the subject.

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Practice Focus

  • Derivatives and structured finance, including finance-linked and deal-contingent transactions
  • Derivatives across major asset classes
  • Complex structured products, including credit-linked notes, risk participations, fund-level financings and repackaging structures
  • Crypto derivatives and digital asset-linked financing solutions
  • Global transactional support for large-scale financings and infrastructure projects
  • ISDA documentation and committee involvement

Representative Experience

  • Counseled a major investment bank in its capacity as mandated hedge provider in relation to the financing aspects of a £4.2 billion acquisition, one of the largest European private equity buyouts since the coronavirus pandemic. *
  • Counseled a major investment bank in connection with a complex deal-contingent transaction relating to a take-private transaction involving a consortium of private equity funds' £1.4 billion recommended cash offer for a major public limited company. *
  • Counseled a major investment bank in its capacity as hedge coordinator on two finance packages worth approximately €1 billion relating to the construction and maintenance of 15 stations on the Barcelona Metro. *
  • Counseled a major investment bank in structuring a complex deal-contingent derivative product in connection with a €1.6 billion investment in a wind farm in Germany. *
  • Counseled a major investment bank in structuring a complex deal-contingent derivative product in connection with acquisition finance for a major Portuguese fibre business valued at €630 million. *
  • Counseled a major investment bank in connection with multiple complex deal-contingent transactions forming part of a top-tier private equity infrastructure fund's $630 million investment in Brazilian renewable energy. *
  • Counseled a major US bank in connection with its commodity trading business lines worth $750 million. *
* Experience prior to Katten

News

Practices
Industries
Education
  • Lancaster University, LLM, First Class Honors
  • College of Law, London, LPC
Professional & Community Involvement
  • International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.
  • Association for Financial Markets in Europe, High Yield Intercreditor Committee
  • Committee on European Insolvency Reform
  • European Leveraged Finance Association
Recognitions
Recognized or listed in the following:
  • Chambers Global
    Capital Markets: Derivatives, UK, 2026
  • Chambers UK
    Capital Markets: Derivatives, 2026
  • The Legal 500 United Kingdom
    Finance: Derivatives and Structured Products, Recommended Attorney, 2024–2026
Award Methodologies