Global ABS Networking for Lawyers: How to Prepare for Barcelona 2027

Global ABS brings a substantial part of the structured finance market into one concentrated environment. Yet access to issuers, investors, originators, arrangers and advisers does not automatically become a valuable professional network.

For lawyers attending Global ABS 2027 in Barcelona, the commercial value of the event will depend on the quality of their preparation, their understanding of the market and the judgement they show before, during and after each conversation.

This article explains how structured finance lawyers can approach Global ABS with greater purpose without turning every interaction into a legal-services pitch. It is relevant to lawyers advising issuers, originators, arrangers, investors, asset managers, lenders, sponsors and other participants across securitisation, asset-backed finance, structured credit, CLOs, significant risk transfer and related capital-markets products.

What is Global ABS 2027?

Global ABS is a major European event for the structured finance and securitisation market. It brings together issuers, originators, investors, asset managers, financial institutions, regulators, service providers, technology businesses and professional advisers for market discussion, meetings and relationship development.

Global ABS 2027 is scheduled for 15 to 17 June 2027 at the Barcelona International Convention Centre, commonly known as the CCIB, in Barcelona, Spain. Attendees should confirm the current agenda, registration requirements and practical arrangements on the official Global ABS website before travelling.

The organisers report that the 2026 edition received more than 6,000 registrations. Their published event figures also report more than 5,570 on-site attendees, participants from over 55 countries, more than 180 sponsors and exhibitors and over 114,000 on-site meetings. Those figures illustrate the concentration of the market, although attendance and programme details may differ in 2027.

The preliminary 2027 agenda had not been published when this article was checked. The 2026 programme was organised around macroeconomic trends, asset-backed finance, CLOs and private credit, significant risk transfer and regional market developments, providing a useful indication of the event’s breadth without guaranteeing the subjects that will appear in 2027.

Why Global ABS matters for structured finance lawyers

Structured finance is a technically demanding and relationship-intensive market. A transaction may involve an issuer or originator, arranger, investors, rating agencies, trustees, account banks, servicers, auditors, regulators and legal advisers across several jurisdictions.

A lawyer’s value therefore extends beyond knowing the documentation. Clients and collaborators must also trust that the lawyer understands the economic objective, recognises the interests influencing the structure, protects important relationships and can help the transaction progress through complexity.

Global ABS may help lawyers:

• strengthen relationships with existing issuer, originator, arranger and investor clients;
• understand how different participants are approaching the market;
• develop relationships with counsel and advisers in relevant jurisdictions;
• identify developing financing, regulatory and documentation concerns;
• build connections across traditional and emerging asset classes;
• coordinate institutional relationships across offices and practice groups; and
• become more visible within a specialised professional community.

The opportunity is not limited to partners. Counsel, Senior Associates and Associates can use the event to deepen market fluency, strengthen peer relationships and contribute more meaningfully to their firm’s client strategy. Their approach should reflect their seniority, professional responsibilities and role in each relevant relationship.

For the broader event strategy, read Conference Networking for Lawyers: How to Turn Industry Events into Client and Career Opportunities.

How lawyers should prepare for Global ABS

The size and density of Global ABS make an unfiltered approach inefficient. Preparation should help a lawyer distinguish between the relationships that require deliberate attention and those that should be allowed to develop more gradually.

Choose a focused relationship or market objective

Decide what you want the event to help you understand, strengthen or begin. The objective might relate to an existing client, a defined group of issuers or investors, a product area, a jurisdiction, an emerging asset class or a regulatory development affecting your practice.

The objective should be clear enough to guide your diary without narrowing your attention so far that you miss an unexpected but commercially relevant conversation.

Review the firm’s existing relationships

Identify which colleagues already advise, know or are seeking to develop relationships with the relevant organisations. Consider whether an introduction is available and agree who should lead or support each important interaction.

This internal review matters because several lawyers approaching the same institution without coordination can create duplication and weaken the impression of a coherent firm relationship.

Research commercial context rather than titles alone

A job title does not reveal the person’s immediate priorities. Review appropriate public information about their role, organisation, recent transactions, funding activity, investment mandate, market participation and the issues most likely to affect their work.

The purpose is not to recite research during the conversation. It is to understand the context well enough to ask relevant questions and recognise where your experience may become useful.

Arrange selected meetings before Barcelona

Priority meetings should be requested in advance, particularly when contacting senior professionals with crowded diaries. Keep each request concise and make the relevance of the conversation clear without presenting a disguised sales message.

Do not fill every available moment. Sessions, introductions and unplanned conversations are part of the event’s value, and a diary without breathing room can make every interaction feel rushed.

How to map the structured finance ecosystem before Global ABS

Structured finance is not a single audience. The same transaction or market development may be understood differently by the organisations involved, and a credible networking strategy should recognise those distinctions.

Issuers and originators

Consider the organisation’s funding objectives, asset origination, programme activity, execution timetable and the internal stakeholders involved. The legal conversation should remain connected to the commercial reason capital is being raised.

Investors and asset managers

Relevant context may include investment mandate, asset-class appetite, jurisdictional focus, risk assessment and how the organisation participates in primary and secondary markets. Do not assume that every investor is seeking the same product, return profile or type of relationship.

Banks, arrangers and private-capital providers

Understand where the institution participates across origination, structuring, underwriting, distribution, financing or investment. A broad institutional name may conceal several teams with different responsibilities and priorities.

Service providers and professional advisers

Trustees, corporate service providers, rating agencies, auditors, administrators, technology providers and legal advisers may each influence execution and future introductions. Treat these relationships as part of the market rather than as peripheral contacts.

Regulators and industry bodies

Public policy and regulatory developments can affect structures, disclosure, capital treatment, investor participation and market confidence. Lawyers should understand the relevant public debate without treating a conference conversation as a substitute for formal regulatory analysis.

Lawyers whose practices also extend into fund finance may find Global Fund Finance Symposium Networking for Lawyers: Miami Beach 2027 useful.

Structured finance themes lawyers should understand before Global ABS

The strongest conversation will depend on the other person’s role, organisation and the information they can appropriately discuss. Lawyers attending Global ABS should nevertheless be prepared to understand public market themes such as:

• macroeconomic conditions, interest rates, spreads and investor demand;
• the development of asset-backed finance and private securitisation;
• consumer, auto, residential mortgage, commercial mortgage and other established asset classes;
• CLOs, private credit and the interaction between bank and non-bank capital;
• significant risk transfer and the use of structured solutions in bank capital management;
• fund finance, NAV-based lending and the role of capital-markets solutions;
• regulatory change across the United Kingdom, European Union and other relevant markets;
• data quality, reporting, technology and artificial intelligence;
• emerging assets, new originators and the scalability of unfamiliar structures; and
• cross-border execution and coordination between legal teams.

The objective is not to memorise a catalogue of impressive questions. It is to understand the market well enough to recognise which issue matters to the person in front of you and explore it with appropriate judgement.

How to network at Global ABS without sounding transactional

Understand the person’s position before presenting your own

An issuer, arranger, investor and service provider may view the same structure from different perspectives. Begin by understanding the person’s role and priorities rather than assuming that a familiar technical topic creates an identical commercial concern.

Lead with informed curiosity

Ask questions you genuinely want answered and listen for the context behind the initial response. Do not race to connect every answer to a service your firm provides.

A lawyer who understands the issue before describing the legal solution is more likely to be seen as commercially relevant and trustworthy.

Explain your relevance clearly

Describe the clients, transactions or situations in which your judgement becomes valuable. This is usually more memorable than a lengthy list of credentials, rankings or every structured finance product on which your firm can advise.

Allow the next step to match the relationship

A sensible next step might involve continuing a discussion, sharing an appropriate public resource, making a useful introduction or reconnecting when a known market development occurs. Not every conversation needs to end with an immediate call or proposal.

Protect confidentiality and market trust

Specialist markets can feel informal because many participants know one another. Do not disclose client information, speculate about confidential transactions or use privileged knowledge to demonstrate status. Follow your firm’s rules on confidentiality, conflicts, hospitality, social media and contact recording.

For the wider relationship principles, read Networking for Lawyers: How to Build Relationships That Create Opportunities.

How to navigate Global ABS strategically

The official event figures demonstrate the intensity of the meeting environment. That concentration can be valuable, but it also creates logistical and cognitive pressure that should be managed deliberately.

Make every meeting location precise

Confirm the exact stand, meeting area, entrance or nearby venue. The CCIB is a substantial convention environment, and an imprecise instruction can waste a meaningful part of a short meeting.

Choose agenda sessions for relevance

The programme can help you understand the issues shaping client decisions and prepare more useful conversations. Select sessions because they support your market or relationship objective, rather than simply following the most familiar speaker or broadest topic.

Record context while it is still clear

After several conversations, names, organisations and promised actions can easily become confused. Record only information permitted by applicable rules and firm policy, but capture enough context to support accurate and relevant follow-up.

Protect time to think

A crowded diary can create the impression of a productive event while leaving little space to listen, reflect or follow through. Preserve short gaps so that important information can be processed and the next meeting receives your full attention.

How different levels of lawyer can approach Global ABS

Partners and practice leaders

Partners may focus on strengthening strategic client relationships, understanding institutional priorities, coordinating cross-border opportunities and ensuring that relevant colleagues are connected appropriately.

Counsel and Senior Associates

Counsel and Senior Associates can deepen relationships with the professionals they work with on transactions, build visibility around a defined area of expertise and develop stronger awareness of the commercial concerns influencing instructions.

Associates

Associates can use the event to improve market fluency, develop peer relationships and understand how technical work fits into the wider client relationship. Their networking should complement, rather than bypass, the firm’s established relationship strategy.

Visibility at every level should be based on useful participation, sound judgement and reliable follow-through rather than the number of people met.

How to follow up after Global ABS

Global ABS creates concentrated access. Follow-up determines whether that access develops into a trusted professional relationship.

For most meaningful conversations, follow up within one to three working days. Help the recipient remember where you met, what you discussed and why continuing the relationship may be useful.

Effective follow-up usually includes:

• the context in which you met;
• a specific point from the conversation;
• anything you promised to provide; and
• a next step proportionate to the interaction.

Avoid sending the same message to every contact. The most credible follow-up feels like a continuation of the original conversation rather than the beginning of a campaign.

For more guidance, read How to Follow Up After a Networking Event as a Lawyer Without Sounding Transactional.

Common Global ABS networking mistakes

Attending without a focused objective

A substantial agenda and thousands of potential contacts can produce three busy days without strengthening the relationships most relevant to your practice.

Treating the market as one audience

Issuers, investors, arrangers and advisers may have different priorities. A generic approach can make commercially sophisticated conversations feel superficial.

Overusing technical knowledge as a substitute for curiosity

Expertise matters, but a conversation dominated by your own analysis gives you little opportunity to understand the other person.

Delivering a credentials pitch

A long description of your firm does not demonstrate that you understand the person, institution or issue in front of you.

Failing to coordinate internally

Several lawyers approaching one institution with disconnected messages can weaken the firm’s broader client relationship.

Discussing confidential or speculative information

Short-term attention is not worth damaging trust in a market where professional reputations travel quickly.

Sending generic follow-up

If the message could be sent unchanged to every attendee, it gives the recipient little reason to continue the specific conversation.

Measuring success only through immediate instructions

Conference value may first appear as stronger trust, useful intelligence, improved access or a more relevant future conversation.

If conventional business development feels unnatural, read Business Development for Lawyers Who Hate Selling: A Practical Approach.

Concise Global ABS preparation checklist for lawyers

• Confirm the official dates, agenda, venue and registration arrangements.
• Define the principal relationship or market objective for attending.
• Identify the institutions and existing relationships connected to that objective.
• Coordinate with colleagues before approaching shared clients or contacts.
• Research the commercial context behind each priority conversation.
• Arrange selected meetings while preserving flexibility in the diary.
• Record exact meeting locations and allow realistic movement time.
• Protect confidentiality and observe applicable professional obligations.
• Record permitted context and complete every promise made.
• Follow up selectively with relevance rather than volume.

Frequently asked questions about Global ABS for lawyers

When and where is Global ABS 2027?

Global ABS 2027 is scheduled for 15 to 17 June 2027 at the Barcelona International Convention Centre, or CCIB, at Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-14, Sant Martí, Barcelona, Spain. Attendees should confirm the current programme and practical arrangements on the official website before travelling.

Who attends Global ABS?

The event brings together issuers, originators, investors, asset managers, financial institutions, regulators, service providers, technology businesses and professional advisers from across the structured finance market.

How large is Global ABS?

The organisers report more than 6,000 registrations for the 2026 edition. Their published event figures also report more than 5,570 on-site attendees, participants from over 55 countries, more than 180 sponsors and exhibitors and over 114,000 on-site meetings. Attendance may differ in 2027.

Is Global ABS useful for structured finance lawyers?

It can be useful for lawyers advising issuers, originators, arrangers, investors, asset managers and other structured finance participants. Its value depends on the lawyer’s objectives, client base, preparation and ability to continue relevant relationships after the event.

How far in advance should lawyers arrange Global ABS meetings?

Priority meetings should usually be requested several weeks before the event, particularly when contacting senior professionals with crowded diaries. Lawyers should still preserve time for relevant sessions, introductions and unplanned conversations.

What should lawyers discuss at Global ABS?

Useful topics may include public developments affecting securitisation, asset-backed finance, CLOs, private credit, significant risk transfer, regulation, investor demand and emerging asset classes. The strongest topic is one relevant to the other person and appropriate to discuss without compromising confidentiality.

Is Global ABS useful for Associates and Senior Associates?

It can help Associates and Senior Associates build market knowledge, develop peer relationships and contribute more effectively to client strategy. They should coordinate with relevant partners and choose objectives appropriate to their role.

How soon should lawyers follow up after Global ABS?

For a meaningful conversation, follow up within one to three working days. Refer to the context, include a specific point from the discussion, complete anything promised and suggest only a proportionate next step.

This article provides general professional-development information, not legal advice. Lawyers should follow applicable professional rules, data-protection requirements and their firm’s policies. The Invisible Lawyer is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by FT Live, AFME, Global ABS or any event participant. Event details were checked on 2 August 2026 and may change.