Hogan Lovells has hired space and satellite project finance lawyer Alexis Sáinz from Milbank to bolster its US corporate and finance team.

Sáinz joins as a partner in the firm’s Washington DC office, where she will be global co-leader of the space and satellite practice and a member of the infrastructure, energy, resources and projects practice. She will focus on advising satellite operators, aerospace manufacturers, launch services providers, as well as private equity firms, hedge funds and development agencies, on commercial and regulatory matters related to the space industry and satellite financings.

James Doyle, global corporate and finance practice group leader, said: “Alexis is a prominent practitioner in the satellite industry who brings a stellar reputation and strong skills in the project financing of satellite and related assets. We believe she is the ideal person to build upon our team’s success and guide it into new frontiers.”

Sáinz spent almost 15 years at Milbank, becoming special counsel in 2019 and then partner at the start of this year. Prior to her career in private practice, Sáinz worked in tech consultancy for a variety of companies, including National Geographic Ventures, the World Bank and KPMG. She also currently co-chairs the American Bar Association’s committee on space law. 

Randy Segal, global space and satellite practice co-lead, said: “There are few, if any, people in the space industry who are the ‘go to’ satellite finance leaders in the industry as Alexis. There is so much going on in this industry, and Alexis is the perfect fit to drive us into the next decade.”

Sáinz’s arrival comes amid the broader commercialisation of the space industry, often referred to as the ‘newspace’ industry.

Sáinz said: “The ‘newspace’ industry [is] an emerging multi-billion dollar industry comprising new launch vehicles, commercial human space travel, commercial space stations, space-industry services and 3D printing as an enabling technology, as well as other changes to the set of industrial paradigms that drive the industry.”

A number of other UK firms have been expanding their US footprints in recent weeks. In July, Linklaters hired two structured finance partners from Alston & Bird in New York – Joseph Gambino and Peter Williams. And in June, Linklaters hired employment partner Andrew Gaines from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, also in New York, while Allen & Overy hired corporate partner Jesse Debban in Silicon Valley from Farella Braun + Martel.