NEW YORK, November 27, 2018: Morgan Lewis has further fortified its top-tier tax practice by adding Sarah Nelson, a former Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC director, as a securitization tax partner with a particular focus on the tax aspects of structured finance transactions. Ms. Nelson, who will be resident in New York, previously led legal in-house coverage of commercial real estate finance and commercial mortgage-backed securities at Credit Suisse and formerly worked at other global law firms.
Ms. Nelson represents issuers, underwriters, government-sponsored enterprises, and credit-enhancers on the tax aspects of structured finance transactions, including structuring and documenting residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMIC); debt-for-tax and grantor trust structures; asset-backed securities (ABS); and collateralized loan obligations (CLO) for real estate investment trust (REIT) and non-REIT issuers. Her arrival represents the latest expansion of both Morgan Lewis’s market-leading tax and structured transactions teams.
“Our clients will benefit greatly from Sarah’s solid insights gained from her leadership roles within one of the world’s foremost financial services companies, as well as from her time in private practice,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “She is a proven team builder whose unique knowledge and skills will expand our elite tax services as she collaborates with our teams across the United States and around the globe from this key transactional hub.”
Ms. Nelson counsels both lenders and borrowers in connection with financing arrangements, including servicing advance facilities and commercial mortgage loans and their implications to US, foreign, and tax-exempt investors.
“Sarah has a comprehensive background and an excellent reputation within the structured finance industry,” said Reed Auerbach, leader of Morgan Lewis’s structured transactions practice. “She is familiar with both the adviser and client sides of deals, and her acute awareness of the tax aspects of structured transactions, as well as her thorough grasp of the industry, will be invaluable to our clients.”
“Sarah has a deep understanding of the key business drivers of the tax aspects of a wide variety of transactions,” said Bart Bassett, who leads Morgan Lewis’s tax practice. “Her work on various asset classes, both in the law firm and global financial institution environments, fully equips her to take on the complex tax review and analysis most transactions require.”