Simone Benton is a senior counsel in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is a member of the Business Restructuring and Reorganization and Finance Practice Groups.
Simone has broad experience advising across a range of multi-jurisdictional restructuring matters and financings. She is responsible for developing and implementing the internal and external knowledge and training strategy for the London Business Restructuring and Reorganization team.
Simone’s experience includes advising:
- Fidera, as the largest creditor in the Part 26A restructuring plan of the Project Fürst development in Berlin
- The junior creditors in the contested proceedings to restructure Virgin Active using a Part 26A Plan
- Certain Senior Lenders to Danaos in connection with its debt restructuring and NatWest Group on the disposal of its shareholding in Danaos in an off-market privately negotiated share sale to Danaos
- Rhône Capital on English law financing aspects of its acquisition of Zodiac Pool Holding SA from a fund affiliated with the Carlyle Group for approximately $1.2 billion
- Altran Technologies on its definitive agreement and plan of merger pursuant to which Altran agreed to acquire Aricent from a group of investors led by KKR for a total enterprise value of $2.0 billion, in an all-cash transaction.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, Simone worked at another major international law firm in London. Simone is admitted to practice in England and Wales and Alberta, Canada (inactive).
Simone received her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies and Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Simone’s recent publications include:
- Killer NDAs: NDAs that kill a creditor’s restructuring options, Global Turnaround May 2023
- Sequana: Have directors been given a chance to score an own goal? Global Turnaround December 2022
- “Restructuring Law and Practice: Third Edition,” LexisNexis, 2022
Capabilities
Credentials
Education:
- Queen's University - 2000 Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
- Queen's University - 1997 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- Canada - Canada - Law Society of Alberta
- England & Wales - Solicitor