Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer’s global head of banking has been a man on a mission for the past few years. Edward Evans has been determined to grow the firm’s banking operation and shift the emphasis from a borrower-led practice to one that wins work from lead managers.

The team now boasts 15 partners, up from four just a few years ago, while 2005 was one of its best years for deals. It picked up mandates from several of the biggest private equity houses and scooped several plum deals, including Apax’s purchase of Travelex and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners’ acquisition of Italian energy and telecom cables business Pirelli Cavi e Sistemi. The firm also won a place on Barclays Bank’s general panel.

By any standard, Evans’ efforts appear to have succeeded. But with borrowers flexing their muscles, Evans’ track record as a borrower finance lawyer will underpin his practice in 2006.