London – September 16, 2026 -- Mayer Brown has recruited Scott Ashton as partner and Brian Bates as senior counsel into its Capital Markets practice, adding two attorneys who have represented issuers on roughly 30 percent of total cross-border U.S. private placement debt issuance in recent years. Both will be based in the firm's London office.
New hires specialize in cross-border private placements for infrastructure and energy funding
Ashton and Bates focus on cross-border securities offerings, representing issuers and placement agents on debt and equity transactions. Their practice centers on advising non-U.S. entities placing private debt with U.S. and other large institutional investors and pension funds, a funding channel that continues to expand for infrastructure and energy projects.
Pair helped draft industry-standard documentation used across the private placement market
Beyond transactional work, Ashton and Bates have contributed to developing standard documentation for the cross-border private placement industry, including the Loan Market Association's private placement templates and model forms published by the American College of Investment Counsel.
Jon Van Gorp, commenting on the hires, said the addition strengthens Mayer Brown's position in debt capital markets and will benefit the firm's client base.