Best Lawyers in America for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Robert McConnell is a member of the firm’s transaction and real estate practice groups and has substantial experience in commercial financing transactions representing lenders, borrowers and developers. Mr. McConnell represents clients undertaking a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate development activities, including residential, retail and office condominium developments, low-income housing projects utilizing tax credit financing, subdivision and mixed-use community...

Jim Smith is a founding partner of Smith Hurst, PLC. Jim’s practice experience is extensive and spans the full range of business advisory and transactional law. He routinely counsels companies across diverse industries in a myriad of business matters including capital raising, advising Boards of Directors, senior management, executives and controlling shareholders regarding governance and fiduciary duty matters, compliance with regulatory obligations, ordinary course of business contrac...

Daniel S.W. Choi is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Securitization and Structured Finance Law. Daniel S.W., who practices law in New York, New York, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Daniel S.W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Erik Klingenberg is the Chair of Dentons' Capital Markets practice, specializing in structured finance, including all aspects of commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and other structured products. Erik is praised by clients as a “sophisticated,” “hands-on,” “creative,” “extremely smart” and “excellent lawyer,” with sources commending his "broad range of expertise and understand[ing] immediate...

Andi Mandell has been at the forefront of tax developments in the structured finance and securitization markets for more than 30 years. She brings extensive experience advising on the tax related aspects of complex structured finance and securitizations across a broad spectrum of asset classes. Andi focuses her practice on providing tax advice to the securitization industry. Her tax expertise spans traditional securitizable assets, such as RMBS, MSRs, CMBS, student loans, credit cards, and SF...

David Otero’s national practice focuses on bankruptcy and tax litigation and counseling. A partner in both the Tax and Bankruptcy & Reorganization Practice Groups, his clients include Citigroup, Capital One, Nissan, Santander Bank, Sears, Synchrony Financial, U.S. Bank, Venus Fashion, and professional athletes. In his tax practice, David advises multistate businesses on state and local tax controversy matters throughout the United States. He represents institutions financing both cr...

Eugene Ferrer is the chair of the Structured Credit practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the New York office. His practice focuses on securitization and structured finance, with a particular emphasis on structured credit products and collateralized loan obligation transactions. In the past, he has represented investment banks, financial institutions, collateral managers, issuers, investors, and end-users in a wide array of securitized financial products, including: cash and synthetic CDO...

Bob is committed to making a difference for those he serves. Applying his deep tax background and education, Bob represents buyers and sellers in merger, acquisition and disposition transactions, and provides comprehensive counsel pertaining to business and partnership tax matters. He also advises start-up companies and established businesses alike interested in pursuing capital sources from the private equity market to raise capital for a number of diverse enterprises. Bob’s industry e...

Karen Chapman is a Member in Sherman & Howard’s Corporate and Business Department. She is a highly respected specialist in mergers and acquisitions and corporate financings, leading teams that close sophisticated transactions valued in the hundreds of millions and billions of dollars. Karen plays a preeminent role representing airlines in jet fuel storage and distribution system leasing, contract and financing matters at major airports throughout the United States. Karen’s pra...

Area of Emphasis Joe Bunn is a shareholder in the Corporate and Commercial Group of Babst Calland. Before obtaining his law degree, Mr. Bunn worked for a Fortune 500 company and a middle market company where he served in numerous roles involving strategic planning, capital raises, acquisitions and divestitures. Armed with a deep understanding of the practical needs of business owners, he now assists clients in financial transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Mr. Bunn also coun...

Ms. Zelenock represents national and regional lenders, mortgage bankers and loan servicers, with emphasis on capital markets, conduit and bank financing, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac multifamily and manufactured housing lending. Ms. Zelenock has served as closing or supervising counsel for several billion dollars in commercial mortgage loans destined for securitization, including a variety of loan sizes and property types (multifamily, office, manufactured housing communities, nursing...

Bill Macurda is a partner in the Finance Group of Alston & Bird. Bill is the senior partner in the firm’s trust practice, one of the largest trust, agency and asset servicing practices in the country. He represents all major trustees, in a wide variety of product types, including structured finance (CMBS, RMBS, ABS, CDO, CLO and REO), corporate debt, municipal debt, hedge fund transactions, lending and project finance. He advises clients in all roles: trustees, master servicers and ...

Jason L. Poulson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Finance Law, Economic Development Law, Real Estate Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law. Jason L., who practices law in Jackson, Mississippi, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jason L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Patrick Hayden is a partner in the Global Finance & Debt Products Group. His practice focuses on mortgage-backed and asset-backed securitization, and he has represented global financial institutions as indenture trustee in negotiating and closing hundreds of CDO transactions, including CLOs, commercial real estate CDOs and synthetic CDOs. He currently represents indenture trustees in connection with the administration of CDO transactions and has extensive experience with questions and dis...

J. William Pierce, Jr. is a Member of the firm and is in the Real Estate, Secured Lending and Banking Practice Group. Mr. Pierce concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial real estate, secured lending, and other business transactions. In the area of commercial real estate, Mr. Pierce represents developers of office buildings, shopping centers, warehouse properties and all other types of real estate. He is experienced in the leasing of real estate, including the representation of bot...

Stephanie Koo Song is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law and Securitization and Structured Finance Law. Stephanie Koo, who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephanie Koo is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.