Derivatives rising star Shanthi Vignasen joins Fieldfisher

Third consecutive female partner hire in the firm's Financial Markets and Products (FMP) practice in the last 12 months.

European law firm Fieldfisher has announced the appointment of Shanthi Vignasen as a partner in its Derivatives Group in London. Her addition will greatly augment the bench strength of the market-leading and growing derivatives team that advises clients on both sides of the market - from global investment banks, through smaller regional banks and broker/dealers to hedge funds and traditional asset managers. With a very diverse over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives practice, focusing on transactional work, Shanthi will offer expert counsel on longevity, FX, rates, commodities, and equity derivatives, in addition to repos, stock lending and derivative related aspects of loan finance and securitisation transactions. 

Admitted in 2009, Shanthi trained at Allen & Overy LLP (A&O) and has spent her career to date at A&O (now A&O Shearman). She has worked in the Derivatives and Structured Finance (DSF) practice in London and New York, and has spent time on secondment at a number of global financial institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. Shanthi was named as a Rising Star (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Structured Finance and Securitisation in 2022,  Euromoney Rising Star (United Kingdom) in 2021 and IFLR Rising Star (Europe): Structured Finance and Securitisation in 2020. 

Since her qualification in 2009, Shanthi has invested a considerable amount of time training, nurturing and mentoring trainees and associates - many of whom are now clients. She had also spearheaded several diversity and inclusion initiatives in relation to race and ethnicity. Shanthi's appointment is the third consecutive female partner hire in the firm's Financial Markets and Products (FMP) Group in the last 12 months after Emma Dwyer (also formerly with A&O) and Laetitia Costa. Half of the firm's partner promotions last year were women.

Commenting on the appointment, Co-Head of FMP, Guy Usher said:

"We are very happy to welcome Shanthi to the team and the firm. She is a rising star in the derivatives industry and has been the go-to derivatives lawyer for insurance, securitisation, energy and project finance work at A&O over the last 10+ years. The derivatives markets continue to advance and evolve as they embrace innovation and technology, increase in complexity and respond to new regulation. Shanthi's instrumental roles in the build and roll out of innovative industry solutions will be a valuable addition to our ongoing investment in this space."

Shanthi Vignasen said "I am delighted to be joining Fieldfisher's derivatives team as a partner. The firm's collaborative approach combined with its strong reputation in financial services, including across the full spectrum of derivatives and structured products, make it an ideal platform to support clients in navigating the evolving transactional and regulatory landscape. I look forward to contributing to the derivative team's continued success and growth."

Shanthi joins a steadily growing partner team comprising Emma Dwyer, Emma Spiers, Jenny Warren, Edward Miller, Sebastian Reger,and Guy Usher, making Fieldfisher one of the most prominent providers of legal services in this area. 

Fieldfisher's highly successful Financial Markets and Products (FMP) Group focuses on derivatives, structured finance, financial regulation, funds, banking and real estate finance, with over 40 partners across Europe, advising clients on cross-border deals across the world, including in emerging markets. Shanthi's arrival strengthens Fieldfisher's derivatives offering within the FMP practice.