Edward Wilde is a member of our Corporate Transactions, Finance & Governance Practice Group based in our London office. He has over 30 years experience in advising UK and worldwide asset based financiers, including factoring companies, invoice discounters and other receivables financiers, in all client related aspects of their business. Areas covered include mergers and acquisitions, master documentation, collections, contested litigation, insolvency and enforcement of judgments.

Before joining Squire Sanders Edward was for 15 years the senior partner of Wilde & Partners, a niche London practice devoted entirely to servicing the needs of asset based lenders. His international experience has included being the London based partner of the New York Law Firm Hayt from 1981 to 1991 and until recently chairman of the Legal Committee of the International Factors Group.

In 2004 Edward was awarded a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Factors and Discounters Association, for services to the UK Factoring Industry.

Representative Experience

• Drafting a complete library of over 300 legal documents for a clearing bank owned invoice financier and keeping under review.
• Company secretary and hon. legal counsel from 1995 to date of the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA). Its members handle 98 percent of the receivables financed in UK and Ireland, with a combined turnover of over GBP £200 billion. Apart from acting as general counsel, Edward is actively involved in the Association’s responses to Government consultations about proposed changes in the law which might affect members, particularly in relation to insolvency, tax, contracts, court procedures, litigation, compliance and EU legislation.
• Governor and company secretary from 1995 to 2010 of the ABFA Educational Foundation, a registered charity which provided structured training for all levels of staff working in the asset based finance industry. As the author of the legal aspects of their training manuals, he took a leading role in developing the Foundation’s certificate and diploma courses for senior executives. The Foundation has recently merged with the ABFA where Edward continues to be involved as a key member of the Education and Training Committee. He lectures and writes widely on all aspects of the law relating to asset based lending.
• Chairman, (2002-2009) of the Legal Committee of the International Factors Group which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. This is an association of banks and finance companies throughout the world which provide cross border debt collections and credit protection, for their exporter clients, using the two factor system.
• Member (2000 to date) of the Legal and Technical Forum of ABFA, which keeps members up to date with developments in receivables finance law and advises ABFA’s Executive of legal matters which impinge upon members’ day to day business.
• Member of the Steering Group of the Committee under Lord Saville, tasked to review proposed reforms to the law on the Registration of Security Interests in England and Wales.
• Adviser (2009 to date) to the Legal Committee of the EU Forum for the Factoring and Commercial Finance Industry. The members of the Forum are factoring associations in EU member states. Its legal committee is consulted upon and actively keeps under review draft directives and regulations proposed by the EU Commission which may affect national associations, their members and clients.

Recent Publications

• Co-Author of "Asset Based Working Capital Finance" published by the Financial World publishing Division of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (2001).
• Co-Author of "Cash Flow Finance" – an operations and legal handbook published by Factors and Discounters Association (2005).
• Author "Cautionary Tales – Legal Developments in 2005" – FDA Annual Report.
• Author "Legal Developments in the Past Year" published by ABFA in their Annual Reports for the years 2006,2007,2008 and 2009.
• Author "Essential Law for Invoice Financiers" published by the Asset Based Finance Association (2010).
• Author "Legal Developments and Government Affairs Activity in 2010" - ABFA Annual Report.