Michael
Taylor

Michael Taylor is Head of our Finance Unit and is recognised for his expertise advising banks and corporate borrowers on all aspects of corporate banking and acquisition finance. Describing himself as “determined” Michael typically works with Banks, asset-based lenders and corporate clients with a focus on new lending and debt restructuring advice.

Experienced and flexible

The challenge of “trying to fit square pegs into round holes” is one which Michael frequently grapples with, and something he acknowledges can come in various guises: “each deal is different, and there is no single approach that will always work”. For Michael, it all comes down to experience and flexibility, and finding a commercially acceptable solution to a tricky legal issue is one of the aspects of his job he finds the most rewarding.

It’s perhaps not surprising then that Michael describes his working style as “collaborative where possible, confrontational where necessary” and this is obvious in his drive to achieve his client’s goals – whether that means a successful acquisition, a smooth refinancing, or a rather more dramatic business rescue.

A pragmatic approach

Michael believes the key to any assignment is twofold – understanding his client’s goals, and seeing things from their perspective. It’s this crucial part of relationship building that also chimes with how he sees life at Walker Morris – where client focus is always front of mind, closely followed by a collaborative approach. And at the heart of it all – an ethos of quality and integrity which underpins everything he does.

Northern soul

Michael grew up in a small town in South Staffordshire, and arrived in Leeds following university in Bristol. He came for a two year training contract in 1984, with a view to moving back to the West Midlands on qualification. Plans change. Leeds took off as a commercial and financial centre during that time, transforming itself from an ex-industrial town to start looking like the northern financial power house it is now. It was exciting. He stayed, and is now recognised across the region, and further afield, for an expertise in debt-financing transactions that stretches back over more than 35 years, undertaking all aspects of acquisition and property finance, development funding and restructuring.

A testament to both his legal skill and the way he nurtures relationships, Michael has been described by clients as “Technically strong, very commercial and pleasant to deal with”, “one of the most astute lawyers I have dealt with” and “simply superb”.

He says: “driving home in the early morning, knowing that, as a consequence of you working through the night, a load of people are now going into work to do a job they would not have if you had not just done what you have can give you quite a buzz”.