NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2012: Morgan Lewis today announced the addition of a team of lawyers, led by Marshall Stoddard—formerly the head of the bank and institutional finance practice at another AmLaw 100 firm—to its Business and Finance Practice, resident in the firm's New York and Los Angeles offices. Mr. Stoddard will serve as a new co-chair of the firm's Finance practice. He is a transactional lawyer and corporate advisor focusing his practice on commercial, banking, and bankruptcy law across a wide range of industries, including technology, entertainment, government contractors, media, transportation, and agriculture.
"Marshall's arrival enhances our ability to provide leading lender side financing expertise to our clients, adding even more depth to the already strong lending and restructuring resources we offer," said Firm Chair Francis M. Milone. "His role as a co-chair of our finance team augments our bi-coastal finance footprint and reflects our continued commitment to providing clients with the kind of counsel they need to execute credit transactions in any business environment."
"This team brings deep and broad experience in sophisticated and complex domestic and international financing transactions," added Charles E. Engros, Leader of the firm's Business & Finance Practice. "We are excited to welcome them to the firm."
Stoddard and his team's finance experience includes senior debt, corporate, and acquisition financing; mezzanine financing and syndications involving recapitalizations; refinancings; and commercial, asset-based, and cash-flow lending. He also has experience in restructurings and reorganizations, including debt restructuring representing senior creditors and syndicate groups, bond holders, and secured creditors both in and out of bankruptcy; exit financing; contested bankruptcy matters; plan formulation; strategic divestitures; recapitalizations; and other financial and legal restructures.
Stoddard has authored numerous articles, is highly ranked in Chambers USA and is active in a number of professional organizations, including recent service as chair of the Commercial Finance Association Education Foundation and general counsel of the Commercial Finance Conference of California. Legal 500 USA notes that "[h]is knowledge of the secured lending industry and ability to negotiate legal points separates him from other lawyers."
Joining Morgan Lewis, along with Mr. Stoddard, are Christopher L. Exberger (Counsel, Los Angeles) and Gayle A. Berne (Counsel, New York), who focus their practice on senior debt financing with an emphasis on secured and asset-based lending transactions. They have represented borrowers and commercial lending institutions in connection with acquisition financing, cross-border financing, working capital, and other strategic financing across a number of industries and business sectors. The team is rounded out by associate Maria Emanuelli, who will be based in New York.
Drawn by the depth and breadth of the firm's capabilities in a number of areas, they join a Business and Finance team that spans the United States, Europe, and Asia, with nearly 300 transactional lawyers who focus on a wide variety of areas, including finance, bankruptcy and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and capital markets.