NEW YORK – Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that a leading group of structured finance lawyers will be joining the firm from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, including four structured finance partners in New York and a financial products tax partner in Washington, D.C. The attorneys are Chris DiAngelo, Anna-Liza B. Harris, Howard M. Schickler, Joseph P. Topolski and John P. Keiserman.
“We are excited to have this group of outstanding attorneys join us,” said Henry Bregstein, co-managing partner of Katten’s New York office. “They also happen to be a great group of people that we are looking forward to working with. Their structured finance expertise augments our existing finance platform, which will enable us to provide an even broader range of high-level services to our clients.”
According to Mr. DiAngelo, the group chose Katten based on the firm’s “platform, strength in existing practice areas and growth opportunities for the New York office.” He noted that the group intends to make the move to Katten seamless and expects that all of their current associates and support staff will join them. “We look forward to continuing to provide outstanding service to our clients,” Mr. DiAngelo said.
The group focuses its work on public and private securitization of consumer and commercial assets and handles all types of financing for bank and non-bank finance companies, providing innovative solutions to clients’ financing needs and regularly working with some of the most cutting-edge structures in the marketplace. Their clients include a wide range of market participants and asset classes.
These latest additions complement the arrivals last week of commercial finance partner Angela L. Batterson from King & Spalding LLP and financial services partner Guy C. Dempsey, Jr. from Latham & Watkins LLP, both in Katten’s New York office.
Chris DiAngelo has more than 25 years of experience and is well known in the financial services industry. He represents a wide variety of clients, including issuers, lenders, underwriters and bond insurers on a variety of programs and projects, including asset-backed debt, municipal debt, straight corporate debt and equity, warehouse lines, regulatory matters and acquisitions. Before joining Katten, Mr. DiAngelo was global co-head of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s Structured Finance Group. He was recently named to the Board of Directors of the American Securitization Forum, and has been recognized in Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a leader in the area of capital markets and securitization.
Mr. DiAngelo earned his bachelor’s degree from Williams College, his master’s degree from City University of New York, City College, and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School.
Anna-Liza B. Harris focuses her tax practice in the areas of structured finance and securitization, including debt capital markets transactions, residential and multi-family mortgage-backed securitization, asset-backed securitization and the structuring of complex derivative and hybrid equity securities. She has been involved in the development of a number of innovative securitization structures and has represented issuers, underwriters and insurers in public offerings and private placements of securities. Ms. Harris also has provided tax advice for issuances backed by performing, re-performing, non-performing and synthetic assets, utilizing REMICs, commercial paper conduits and other fixed and revolving structures through U.S. and offshore issuing vehicles. She has substantial experience representing issuers of financial products in disputes with the IRS.
Ms. Harris earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Howard M. Schickler represents a multitude of participants in the structured finance market, including issuers, underwriters, credit enhancers, lenders and borrowers in both domestic and international matters. He has been involved in structured finance transactions involving a variety of asset classes, including mortgages, home equity loans, auto loans, equipment leases, credit card receivables, franchise loans, health care receivables, trade receivables and royalties. Mr. Schickler’s transactions include debt and equity structures, private and public issuances, warehouse lines and domestic and cross-border transactions involving both existing assets and future flows. He also has significant corporate finance experience involving public offerings, private debt and subordinated debt offerings, joint ventures, private equity funds, film financings, restructurings and workouts.
Mr. Schickler earned his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from George Washington University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law.
Joseph P. Topolski represents issuers, underwriters, placement agents and investors in asset-backed securitizations and other structured finance transactions. He has worked on transactions involving a wide variety of asset classes, with an emphasis on retail auto loans, retail auto leases and dealer floorplan finance receivables. Mr. Topolski has extensive experience with public and private offerings, domestic and cross-border offerings, term note and variable funding note offerings, existing asset and future flow transactions and single-seller and multi-seller commercial paper conduits.
Mr. Topolski earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
John P. Keiserman regularly represents issuers and underwriters in asset-backed and mortgage-backed transactions with an emphasis on automobile loan, automobile lease and dealer floorplan receivable securitizations and warehouses. He has also represented monoline insurers and collateral managers on market value, cash flow and synthetic CDOs; issuers on franchise loan securitizations; issuers and underwriters on mortgage loan and HELOC securitizations; and issuers and underwriters on numerous Latin American diversified payment rights securitizations.
Mr. Keiserman earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary and his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law.
