Equipment Leasing and Finance Association - Equipping Business for Success

R. Scott Adams

Vice President Legal & Compliance, North America
Volvo Financial Services

Scott Adams serves as VP, Legal & Compliance North America for Volvo Financial Services in Greensboro, North Carolina. He has experience structuring, negotiating and documenting a variety of commercial transactions, as well as managing bankruptcy and insolvency matters. A native of Charleston, W.Va., he attended Colgate University and WVU College of Law.

Michael Babb

General Counsel
Equify Financial LLC

Owen Babcock Esq

Attorney
Padfield & Stout, LLP

Owen Babcock joined the firm of Padfield & Stout, LLP in 2018 and focuses his practice on complex business litigation, administrative litigation, and appellate law. His diverse legal background has prepared Mr. Babcock to efficiently and effectively assist his clients, ranging from family-owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies, in achieving their goals.

Shari Bacsardi Esq

Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Shari Bacsardi means business, her clients' business. Her clients value her focus on their specific needs in deal structuring, and her creative solutions to complex financial arrangements. With more than 22 years of transactional finance experience, Shari’s detail oriented, responsive and "get it done" approach has earned her the trust of her clients. She appreciates and understands her clients' business goals and provides succinct legal guidance to reach them.

Shari has broad experience documenting and negotiating personal property commercial finance transactions. She represents lenders and lessors in all aspects of equipment finance transactions, with an emphasis on transportation assets including aircraft (corporate and commercial), rail equipment, locomotives and railcars, vessels (barges and tankers), and specialty assets.

Shari also has significant experience with financing energy generators, storage tanks, computer hardware, mining equipment, trucks, and manufacturing and construction equipment and counsels clients on the acquisition and disposition of sizeable loan and lease portfolios.

Shari holds a B.A. in Public Policy Studies (Cum Laude) from Duke University and a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is admitted to practice law in the states of Maryland, New York, Vermont and West Virginia.

An avid mountain biker, hiker, baker, yogini and former Division I athlete, Shari supports community-based organizations that promote healthy living.

Philip Bohi Esq

VP Compliance Education
American Financial Services Association

Philip joined AFSA in 2017 as Vice President, Compliance Education. Philip is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership for the Association’s compliance activities, including AFSA University. Philip is the staff liaison to the Operations and Regulatory Compliance Committee, the Vehicle Finance Division Board, the HR Networking Group, the AWARE Board and AFSA's Technology Working Group.

Philip brings significant consumer finance legal and compliance experience to AFSA, having served as in-house counsel at Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and Fannie Mae. At those companies, Philip worked closely with compliance staff supporting technology projects, legislative tracking, and vendor management. Philip’s private practice included work on manufactured housing, residential mortgage compliance, and consumer finance matters at McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC and Lotstein Buckman, LLP.

Philip is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. He was awarded his J.D. from the College of William and Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, and earned a B.A. in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Vincent Borst

Partner
Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC

An accomplished advocate with over three decades of diverse and immersive litigation experience, Vince Borst develops and implements comprehensive strategies designed to achieve optimal outcomes in complex, consequential disputes. Vince's careful, thorough, and organized approach and problem-solving acumen has led to a long track record of success at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts nationwide.

Vince advances his clients' interests and protects their rights in a wide range of matters, including those involving equipment leasing, secured lending, mortgage foreclosures, factoring, and aviation. He has substantial experience counseling clients during all stages of litigation, from pre-suit positioning and investigations through pleadings, discovery, and pre-trial proceedings, to trial and appellate proceedings when appropriate. While always ready to forcefully advocate for his clients in the courtroom, Vince also has extensive experience on the transactional side, drafting equipment lease, factoring, and loan documents on behalf of lessors, factors, secured lenders, and banks.

Vince serves as Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel for Deutsche Leasing North America, Inc., Deutsche Leasing USA, Inc., Deutsche Leasing Canada (DEL), Inc., and Deutsch Leasing Canada Corp. He also serves as General Counsel to the Illinois Railway Museum.

Eileen Brown

Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP

Eileen is a successful negotiator and strategist who focuses on her clients' goals throughout every transaction. She advises financial institutions and operating companies in asset-based financing and equipment leasing transactions.
Eileen advises clients on maritime financing, commercial, and regulatory matters, including loan and security documents, purchase and sale agreements, and a variety of leasing and chartering arrangements. She also counsels large companies negotiating aircraft leases, acquisitions, financing, purchase and sale transactions as well as aircraft operational structures under Part 91. Eileen represents clients before various U.S. agencies, such as the Department of Transportation, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MarAd), and the U.S. Coast Guard. With more than 25 years' experience, Eileen recognizes the importance of fully engaging with the client’s team on each project—from engineers to originators and portfolio managers—which helps her balance often-competing needs. Prior to joining the firm, Eileen was an attorney with MarAd, focusing on the Title XI loan guarantee program. She also served as counsel for International Registries, Inc. (IRI) at the time that IRI served as corporate and maritime administrator for the Republics of Liberia and the Marshall Islands.

Christine Brown

Sr. Flex Financial Counsel
Stryker Flex Financial

Rafael Castillo-Triana

CEO, Latin American Region
The Alta Group LLC

Scott Chait

Director, Counsel - Practice Group Head
Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing Co., Ltd.

Scott Chait is an equipment leasing and finance attorney in the Americas Division of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. His industry experience includes not only in-house and law firm positions, but he has also served “in the trenches” in an operations role with an international bank affiliate. His experience covers a wide-range of asset types in the small, medium, and large ticket sectors and he has documented, structured, negotiated, and closed a diverse portfolio of transactions, including direct originations, syndications, refinancings, workouts, transfers and assumptions, and vendor and dealer referral and remarketing programs. Scott has also developed standard documentation, policies, and operational procedures, and conducted extensive trainings for non-lawyer professionals. His past experience also includes handling litigation and bankruptcy matters for banks, bank affiliates, captives, and independent equipment finance companies.

Matthew Cleaves

Managing Counsel, Equipment Finance and Vendor Financial Services
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

Robert Cohen

Partner
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP

Robert S. Cohen is a Partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP, with offices located on Long Island and in New York City. With over 26 years of experience in all facets of the equipment leasing and asset based lending industries, Bob's practice is devoted to commercial litigation, creditors' rights, corporate transactions and bankruptcy matters. Bob has particular experience in the documentation of financial transactions, enforcement of equipment leases and secured loans, as well as the negotiation of workouts and resolutions. He frequently serves as a speaker and author on various topics relating to the leasing industry.

Bob devotes a significant portion of his time as an active member of ELFA, serving on its Credit and Collections Management Committee, as well as participating as a presenter at its various conferences, including its 2013 Legal Forum Conference, and 2012 and 2011 Credit and Collections Conferences where he served as a speaker at sessions on litigation strategy, electronic discovery, forbearance agreements, lease/secured transaction documentation and legal updates in the finance industry. He is also an active member of NEFA, serving on both its Legal and Education Committees and participating as a presenter at its annual conferences.

In 2012, Bob also presented at the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys' CLEW Conference. In addition to his professional endeavors, Bob is an active supporter of the Special Olympics of New York-Long Island Region, where he has served as a Chairman of its Annual Gold Coast Tour for Champions Golf Outing for the past eleven years.

Benjamin Court

Partner
Stinson LLP

Benjamin delivers legal solutions to equipment leasing and finance organizations. He is well-versed in Articles 2A and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. He has documented lease and loan transactions for captive, bank-affiliated and independent equipment finance companies. Ben also has extensive experience in the enforcement of rights afforded to lessors and secured creditors. His experience includes lawsuits, mediations, arbitrations, workouts and bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings.

Jennifer Crastz

Partner
Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP

Jennifer Witherell Crastz’s practice is concentrated on bankruptcy and bankruptcy litigation, representing secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 proceedings, and a broad range of business and commercial litigation matters, including U.C.C. and equipment leasing disputes.

Ms. Crastz received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her law degree in 1996 from Southwestern University School of Law, where she was a member of the Journal of Law and Trade in the Americas.

Ms. Crastz previously served for two years as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. Robert W. Alberts, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California.

A seasoned litigation and bankruptcy attorney with experience in both state and federal courts, Ms. Crastz is also admitted to all four U.S. District Courts of California.

Alexander Darcy

Shareholder
Darcy & Devassy PC (formerly Askounis & Darcy)

Alex Darcy is a shareholder at Askounis & Darcy PC in Chicago. Alex specializes in representing banks, finance companies, and vendors in equipment lease litigation, appellate, bankruptcy and transactional matters. He has litigated equipment leasing related matters in all fifty states and Puerto Rico. Since graduating in 1993 from The Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, he has practiced exclusively in the equipment finance area with Tom Askounis.

Alex cut his teeth on the $180 million Recomm equipment leasing fraud, a mid-1990s Ponzi scheme in which the vendor rebated a portion of the lease payments back to the lessees through separate, undisclosed "royalty" contracts. More recently, Alex worked to uncover fraud in the Wildwood Industries and Equipment Acquisition Resources matters. He also defended an equipment finance company from the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to floating forum selection clauses in equipment lease contracts, winning dismissal of that part of the Federal Trade Commission's Complaint.

Alex is licensed to practice law in Illinois, California, and Maryland, as well as numerous federal courts throughout the country. He is a 1987 graduate of Hamilton College.

Jill Davidson

Partner
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

A partner in the Womble Bond Dickinson capital markets practice, clients in the finance world rely on Jill to get their deals done. Jill’s practice encompasses nearly every aspect of personal property financing transactions, both domestic and cross-border, and over the course of her career she has represented lessors, lenders, lessees, borrowers, and credit support providers, as well as government-related entities and development finance institutions, giving her important insights into the needs of each of the parties to a transaction. She has extensive experience in big-ticket and middle market transactions.

Debra Devassy Babu

Shareholder
Darcy & Devassy PC (formerly Askounis & Darcy)

Daniel Dvorak

Chief Legal Counsel
Choice Financial Group

Dan Dvorak serves as Chief Legal Counsel of Choice Financial Group, a $5B North Dakota and Minnesota community and banking-as-a-service bank that is active in the equipment finance capital markets space. Previous to Choice, Dan held several positions over almost 10 years in the legal departments of TCF National Bank and subsequently Huntington National Bank, most recently as Senior Associate General Counsel and chief counsel for Huntington's vendor finance business, including its capital markets buy and sell functions.

Prior to his in-house counsel experience, Dan was a senior associate in Faegre Drinker's Finance & Restructuring practice group, where he gained significant experience in the representation of commercial banks in the origination and workout/restructuring of commercial and agricultural credit facilities.

A native of Nebraska, Dan currently resides in the Twin Cities metro. Dan holds a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska and a J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Gregory Faherty Esq.

Shareholder
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

Gregory Faherty is a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Baltimore office who represents a range of clients in the areas of equipment finance and general commercial lending matters. He has a strong legal background
handling complex specialty-equipment assets, including aircraft, marine and railcar finance. Throughout his career, Greg has served in various senior management positions in subsidiaries of large national banks that
focus on general equipment lending and franchise finance transactions.
Greg drafts, documents and negotiates equipment transactions from inception through closing. He provides advice and counsel on direct originations, as well as a wide range of syndicated transactions. In addition, Greg advises clients on the documentation of core middle-market equipment assets in the transportation, vendor, corporate aircraft, marine, rail and vehicle/fleet industries.
Greg previously served as a Senior Vice President/Director of Operations for Bridge Funding Group, a national subsidiary of BankUnited, with a portfolio of equipment and franchise transactions that, at its height, exceeded $2 billion. He gained firsthand experience with the legal and compliance implications of lease/loan documentation, and he handled originations and syndications of all varieties of commercial transactions.
Greg also served as a Senior Vice President/Documentation Group Manager for Capital One Equipment Finance and a Vice President/Operations Manager for SunTrust Equipment Finance & Leasing Corp. Clients
benefit from Greg's legal counsel on matters involving equipment loans and leases with target transactions ranging in value up to $50 million. Greg is well versed in offering counsel related to target market segments, general equipment lending policies and procedures, etc.

Andy Fishburn CLFP

VP, Federal Government Relations
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

Andy Fishburn is the Vice President of Federal Government Relations for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.

Mr. Fishburn joined ELFA in September 2012. He directs and operates all aspects of the association’s federal relations strategy and the engagement of members in political programs.

Fishburn has focused on legislative, financial and tax policy matters throughout his distinguished career within the Department of Treasury and the U.S. Congress. He served in legislative affairs positions and as senior advisor to four Secretaries of the Treasury, including as a Deputy Assistant Secretary under Secretaries John Snow and Henry Paulson. During 2010 and 2011, he served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance and worked for Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on tax policies such as bank taxation, tax administration, oversight of the IRS, tax extenders and small business tax issues. Most recently, he was the Director of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Mint, acting as the Bureau’s lead legislative strategist and congressional liaison.

He has a B.S. in environmental studies from the University of Michigan and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University.

Lisa Fleischer

Chief Legal Officer
DLL

Lisa Fleischer is the Chief Legal Officer (“CLO”) and Corporate Secretary for De Lage Landen Financial Services, Inc. and its US affiliates (“DLL”), an international equipment leasing company. She also currently serves as the ad interim Global Head of Legal for DLL’s parent company in the Netherlands, overseeing the international legal group in more than 28 countries. In her capacity as US CLO, Ms. Fleischer serves as advisor to DLL’s Board of Directors and oversees all aspects of legal work relating to the company, including corporate governance, litigation and transactional matters. Prior to working with DLL, Ms. Fleischer worked as General Counsel for Sallie Mae Bank, the nation’s largest private student loan company, and for 17 years prior for the Advanta companies, the last nine years of which she served as the General Counsel for Advanta Leasing Corp. and Advanta Bank Corp. Prior to joining Advanta, Ms. Fleischer was an associate in Blank Rome’s litigation department.

Ms. Fleischer currently serves as President of the Association of Corporate Counsel for Greater Philadelphia, a non-profit entity with more than 1,800 local in-house counsel members, and serves as a Director of Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit entity serving clothing insecure children in the greater Philadelphia area.

Jonathan Fleisher

Partner
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Jonathan is a partner in the Financial Services Group and chair to the firm’s Asset & Equipment Finance Group and Automotive Group. His financial services practice focuses on the commercial finance industry with a particular emphasis on innovative cross-border transactions and equipment finance. He has particular expertise assisting US commercial finance companies, both public and private, with establishing operations in Canada providing both legal and practical business advice. His experience also extends to all forms of debt finance including subdebt, venture financings, convertible debt, tranche b debt and asset-based lending. He is noted in both Lexpert and Best Lawyer as one of Canada’s leading lawyers in Equipment and Asset Finance and hold Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating.   
He was named Lawyer of the Year - Equipment Finance by Best Lawyer in 2023

Michael Gallo Esq

Of Counsel
Padfield & Stout, LLP

Experienced legal counsel and business executive working with and advising executive leadership in cross-functional environment to achieve business objectives. Specific areas of experience include, commercial equipment finance and leasing, litigation management, public/municipal finance, federal contracting, operations management, risk/credit underwriting, collections, collection litigation and regulatory compliance. Additional experience includes, developing and managing compliance programs, running internal investigations, and responding to government investigative demands.

Education: Juris Doctorate, Master Finance, Bachelor Finance, Six Sigma - Green Belt

Conor Gaughan

Associate
Vedder Price P.C.

Conor A. Gaughan is an Associate at Vedder Price and a member of the firm’s Global Transportation Finance team in the Chicago office.

Mr. Gaughan has experience in complex cross-border aviation transactions and has successfully negotiated and drafted aircraft purchase and sale agreements; assignment, assumption and amendment agreements; financing and security agreements; finance lease agreements; and engine sale agreements. He additionally represents and advises business aviation clients in FAA-compliant structuring and usage of business aircraft. From 2019 to 2021, Mr. Gaughan was recognized as an "Illinois Rising Star" by Illinois Super Lawyers.

In law school, Mr. Gaughan worked as a judicial extern within the Hennepin County District Court and completed two law clerkships at Fortune 500 companies. He also served two years as the Staff Editor for the Midwest Law Journal.

Julia Gavrilov

Partner
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP

Julia Gavrilov concentrates her practice in equipment leasing, secured finance, asset-based lending and all areas of complex commercial litigation. On the transactional side, Ms. Gavrilov specializes in the drafting of equipment lease and loan documents in various secured financing transactions on behalf of secured lenders, banks and lessors, and in representing both buyers and sellers in syndication and capital market transactions. Based on her steady rise throughout the leasing and finance industry, Ms. Gavrilov has been invited to speak on numerous industry panels, including the Legal Forum for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the ELFA Annual Convention, the ELFA Credit & Collections conference and the National Equipment Finance Association’s Finance Summit.

As a seasoned litigator, Ms. Gavrilov’s commercial litigation practice includes the enforcement and/or preservation of lender/lessor’s rights under defaulted equipment lease and secured loan transactions, and in regularly representing both institutional and individual clients in actions involving breach of contract, fraud, shareholder derivative disputes, trademark infringement, counterfeiting, trade diversion, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), attorney malpractice and bankruptcyrelated disputes before the Federal and State courts, as well as various arbitral bodies.

In addition to her daily practice, Ms. Gavrilov also Chairs the Firm’s Women’s Initiative program: “MHH WINS” – “Women’s Initiative for Navigating Success”, and serves as a member of the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Education:

• New York Law School, J.D. 2006
• Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A. 2002

Admissions:

Ms. Gavrilov is admitted to practice in New York, as well as before the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Affiliations:

Ms. Gavrilov is a member of the American, New York State and Nassau County Bar Associations. She is also member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), where she serves on its Service Providers Business Council Steering Committee as well as on the Research Committee of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation. Additionally, Ms. Gavrilov is a member of the Secured Finance Network's (SFNet) Women in Secured Finance Committee, as well as a member of GGI-Worldwide Alliance of Independent Law Firms.

Recognitions:

• 2021 - Top Women in Equipment Finance (The Monitor)
• 2021 - NextGen Leader / 40 Under 40 (The Monitor)
• 2020 - SFNet Top Women In Commercial Finance
• 2020 - SFNet 40 Under 40 Award

Languages:

Russian

Eric Gazin

General Counsel
Verdant Commercial Capital LLC

Eric has practiced for more than 20 years as an attorney in the equipment leasing and finance industry. He is currently General Counsel at Verdant Commercial Capital, the sixth largest independent equipment finance company in the U.S., overseeing all aspects of legal and compliance issues. An alumnus of GE Capital, Eric was senior legal counsel in its Capital Markets Syndications groups, a business unit that, over a ten-year period, produced more than $16 billion in volume. Prior to his 13 years at GE Capital, he was a shareholder at the law firm of Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver in Baltimore, Maryland. He has expertise across an extensive array of industries, including manufacturing, motor vehicles, aircraft, marine, rail, and technology. A frequent speaker and subcommittee chairman at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Eric strives to maintain wide-ranging and current industry knowledge. He is a former Fulbright scholar, and he received B.A. from Trinity College and his J.D. from Emory University.

Arlene Gelman

Shareholder
Vedder Price P.C.

Arlene N. Gelman is a Shareholder at Vedder Price in the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Corporate Reorganization, Bankruptcy and Insolvency groups and currently serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Creditors' Rights and Collections group.

Ms. Gelman concentrates her practice in the representation of lenders, equipment lessors and other creditors in U.S. state, federal district, appellate and bankruptcy courts, including prosecuting numerous breach-of-contract and replevin actions, and representing the interests of secured and unsecured creditors in various state courts and in bankruptcy matters.

Ms. Gelman is a frequent and sought after speaker on equipment finance and bankruptcy related topics. She is a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Chicago Bar
Association, The Illinois State Bar
Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation.

In 2020 and 2022, Ms. Gelman was included on Lawdragon’s list of the 500 Leading U.S. Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyers. Since 2013, she has been selected by her peers as a Leading Lawyer in Bankruptcy & Workout: Commercial
and Creditor’s Rights/Commercial Collections. She has also received an "AV Preeminent" Peer Rating in Martindale-Hubbell. Ms. Gelman was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the 2023 edition for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency Law and Reorganization Law.

Ms. Gelman is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.A., with distinction, 1989) and Boston University School of Law (J.D., 1994), where she was an Edward F. Hennessey Scholar. Ms. Gelman also served as a staff attorney to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Law Clerk to the Honorable Ronald Barliant, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; Law Clerk to the Honorable Eugene Wedoff, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and Law Clerk to the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow, U.S. District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

Ms. Gelman is currently a member of ELFA’s Legal Committee and is a past member of ELFA's Credit and Collections Committee.

Ms. Gelman's past ELFA speaking events include:

Speaking as a moderator at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2022 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2021 Credit & Collections Management Conference

Speaking as a panelist at the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2021 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist at ELFA's 2020 Webinar: Covid-19's Hidden Costs: Bankruptcy, Repossessions & Challenging Legislation

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2019 Legal Forum

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2019 Credit & Collections Conference

Speaking as a panelist on the Legal Update panel at ELFA's 2018 Credit & Collections Conference

Speaking as a panelist at ELFA's 2017 Equipment Management Conference and Exhibition on the topic of forbearance agreements

Michael Gill

Partner
Mayer Brown LLP

With experience from more than 50 jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations, clients turn to Mike Gill to develop strategies to successfully resolve and, when necessary, to try complex commercial disputes, as well as leveraging his broad range of experience to evaluate, through internal investigations, companies’ criminal, regulatory and civil exposures and advise them on risks and remedies. Mike’s trial work focuses on disputes involving breaches of contract, technology issues, mergers & acquisitions, products liability, financial fraud, real estate, and trusts and estates. His recent successes include defending an SEC investigation of an electronic vehicle manufacturer that was ultimately closed without action, obtaining summary judgment in favor of a provider of technology services in a False Claims Act lawsuit, securing an arbitration award in favor of a large gaming company in a contract dispute, and achieving a settlement that resulted in a win for his client in an arbitration involving royalties due under an international licensing agreement.

Marshall Goldberg

Partner
Glass & Goldberg, A Law Corporation

Marshall F. Goldberg is the Managing Partner and a founder of Glass & Goldberg. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science, and was a member of the Dean's Honor List throughout his university tenure. He graduated from Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles in 1979 with Honors.

Marshall's expertise includes both litigation and transactional matters in the areas of commercial finance law, regulatory compliance with lender licensing, corporate restructuring, equipment leasing, secured and unsecured transactions, creditor rights, real estate, commercial mortgage back securities and insolvency law. He specializes in the representation of creditors, servicers and real estate owners, including major banks, equipment lessors, credit and capital corporations, factors, merchant cash advance companies, finance companies, thrifts and other funding sources and lenders. Mr. Goldberg has served as lead counsel in well over one hundred major trials. He has been an active member and leader for many years in financial institution associations, including the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association ("ELFA"), the National Vehicle Leasing Association ("NVLA") and the National Equipment Finance Association (“NEFA”), and its predecessors.

Marshall was listed in the February 2013-2021 issues of Los Angeles Magazine as one of the top lawyers is Southern California.

Marshall was showcased in the December 2011 issue of Forbes Magazine, as the Magazine’s exclusive Southern California choice for outstanding lawyer in Bankruptcy, Property, Commercial and Creditor/Debtor Rights law.

Marshall has been selected for the past twelve (12) consecutive years for inclusion in “Super Lawyers Magazine,” which represents only 5 percent of the lawyers in the State of California. Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers, chosen from a rigorous, multiphase process, who have attained high peer recognition and professional achievement.

Marshall is the recipient of the annual “Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence” presented on behalf of the ELFA Lawyers. This is the highest award given to an attorney by a peer group of hundreds of both in house and outside counsel.

For ELFA, Marshall serves on the Legal Committee and has served on the Credit and Collections Management Committee, and as a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Equipment Lease Financing. He has been the Chairman of the Professional Development, Education and Information Sub-Committee for the ELFA Legal Committee. He is responsible for developing, organizing, managing and editing the Legal Website, which includes an online compendium of legal issues pertaining to the 50 States, "What's New in the Law", and the "Catalogue of Legal Information". With the assistance of the ELFA staff, he developed, chaired and monitored the Legal Listserve, an online forum for attorneys to discuss pertinent legal issues on a daily basis. Marshall is co-author and co-editor of the Executive Guide to Remedies, and the Executive Guide to Lease Documentation.

Marshall also extensively speaks and instructs within the legal and business communities. He has given numerous educational and strategic seminars throughout the United States on subjects including Loan and Lease Enforcement, Mixed Collateral, Fraud Prevention, Creditors’ Rights in Bankruptcy, the Seller Assisted Marketing Plan Act (SAMP), Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, the Uniform Personal Property Leasing Act, Commercial Mortgage Back Securities and their Servicing and the Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. He is a regular panel speaker at a multitude of legal education seminars for the commercial financial services industry on such topics as the Uniform Commercial Code and real property secured transactions. He provides annual legal update presentations for financial association lawyers, including written summaries of current case and statutory law. Also, Marshall frequently speaks to bar associations on the topics of pre-judgment and post-judgment remedies and bankruptcy. Marshall’s legal writings include publications on topics relating to commonly litigated contractual provisions, on the Uniform Commercial Code and on collateral preservation and disposition. His weekly blog can be found at www.glassgoldbergblog.com and his monthly update Newsletter is available upon request.

Marshall sits on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Provisional and Post Judgment Remedies Section, and is a member of the Commercial and Bankruptcy Sections of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Financial Lawyers' Conference and the State Bar of California.

Marshall has earned the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

Barbara Goodstein

Partner
Mayer Brown LLP

Barbara M. Goodstein is a partner in the Banking & Finance practice of the New York office of Mayer Brown LLP. Barbara's experience consists of commercial and structured financing as well as restructuring of transactions for a wide range of asset types including auto, trade, health care, timeshare and lease receivables, sports franchises, intellectual property, transportation equipment (including aircraft, aircraft engines, railcars and vessels), technology equipment, medical equipment, communications and office equipment, construction equipment, and marine and inter-modal containers. She also has extensive debt workout and restructuring experience primarily representing senior creditors and syndicate groups, bondholders, and secured creditors both in and out of bankruptcy; foreclosures, DIP and exit financing; contested and consensual bankruptcy matters; and other financial and legal restructurings.

Barbara is a featured columnist for The New York Law Journal's Secured Transactions section and a former Regent, and current Fellow of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers. She previously served as a member of the Board of Editors of Equipment Leasing Newsletter and the Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal. She also previously served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the ELFA, and is currently a member of the Legal Committee Subcommittee on Air, Rail and Marine.

Barbara has been recognized as an outstanding lawyer by ELFA, having received ELFA's Legal Committee Edward A. Groobert Excellence in Leasing Award in 2015. She is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and recently chaired a Task Force for the ABA Committee on Structured Finance and Securitization. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Public Library.

Edward Gross

Shareholder
Vedder Price P.C.

Edward K. Gross is a Shareholder at Vedder Price and a member of the Global Transportation Finance team.

He established the firm’s Washington, DC office and has over 30 years of experience representing bank-affiliated and large, independent equipment financing companies in all aspects of equipment finance transactions, including documenting, structuring, negotiating, syndicating and enforcing these transactions. Mr. Gross handles all types of equipment finance matters and structures, including single-investor, leveraged financings, true/ tax motivated leases, synthetic leases, TRAC leases, “bundled” and other vendor-originated financings, and domestic and cross-border financings, primarily for transportation equipment, but also for other types of equipment, including: manufacturing and assembly line, construction and drilling, energy-related and other facilities, medical and health-related facilities, high-tech equipment (including “bundled” financings), trucks and trailers, modular units and vessel repair equipment.

Mr. Gross is considered an industry leader in business aircraft and helicopter finance. These transactions vary in structure and include tax and non-tax lease, operating lease and secured loan financing of managed and/or chartered aircraft, fleet aircraft and helicopters operated in various service capacities (e.g., air ambulances, oil and gas service, flight schools, etc.) and engine pools, aircraft operated under fractional and “pay card” arrangements and progress payment, completion and other multi-funding structures. Clients include market-leading aircraft and helicopter financing providers, investors or operating lessors, as well as large publicly or privately held businesses, governmental entities or high-net-worth individual users. Many of these transactions involve foreign registered aircraft.

Many clients rely on Mr. Gross in syndication transactions, including large portfolio purchases, “one-off” sales and assignments, discounting, back-leveraging and participation transactions. He has worked with Vedder Price’s Capital Markets team on securitizations of diverse asset classes. Mr. Gross has prepared lease, loan and syndication forms for many of the most active financing providers in the industry. Working with Vedder Price’s well-regarded bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice, Mr. Gross has assisted financing providers, including various creditor groups, with workout, restructuring, bankruptcy and enforcement matters.

Mr. Gross has been selected for inclusion in numerous editions of Who's Who Legal’s The International Who's Who of Aviation Lawyers, including the 2014 edition in which Mr. Gross participated in a roundtable discussion. In the 2013 edition of that publication, Mr. Gross is named one of the top 500 aviation lawyers in the world, and is cited as “a go-to lawyer for finance, insolvency and restructuring…well-respected by commercial clients.” In 2016 through 2020, Mr. Gross was ranked Band 1 in Private Aircraft (Global-wide) in Chambers High Net Worth, which recognizes the world’s leading high net worth advisers. In addition, in 2013 Mr. Gross was ranked in Chambers USA in the Nationwide Banking & Finance: Equipment Finance & Leasing category. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in Washington DC Super Lawyers (2007–2020) and The Best Lawyers in America (2007–2021) in the field of Equipment Finance Law. Mr. Gross was elected as Fellow to the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers in 2011, and elected as Regent to the College in 2012. He has been recognized by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), receiving the Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and ELFA’s Legal Committee Edward A. Groobert Excellence in Leasing Award in 2011.

A client respondent in Airfinance Journal’s 2011 Guide to Aviation Lawyers mentions, “Vedder Price can turn a deal in a day or two if necessary. Ed Gross is our go to person for time-sensitive matters.” He also recognized among the world’s leading aviation attorneys by in Euromoney’s Expert Guides “Aviation Guide” from 2013 to 2020.

Mr. Gross obtained his B.A. from the University of Maryland and his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Benjamin Hall CLFP, Esq

Vice President, Senior Corporate Counsel
U.S. Bank

Ben Hall is Senior Corporate Counsel for U.S. Bank Equipment Finance. Ben has over 15 years of equipment finance experience, including compliance, documentation, operations, and legal roles. He has broad expertise in direct, vendor and capital markets originations, with a primary focus on state, local and educational financing. Ben holds a JD and MBA from the University of Colorado, is on the Certified Lease and Finance Professionals Foundation board of directors and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association.

Lawrence Hamilton

Partner
Mayer Brown LLP

Larry Hamilton leads Mayer Brown's US Insurance Regulatory practice. Larry has a 50-state insurance regulatory practice and has extensive experience negotiating directly with insurance regulators, helping clients overcome regulatory obstacles and gain approval for their proposed forms of business arrangements. He advises clients in connection with corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, reserve financings, insurance-linked securities, pension risk transfers and the regulation of financial guarantees and other forms of non-payment insurance. Larry is a co-founder of Mayer Brown’s Insurance and Capital Markets Convergence group, which uses the combined talents of the firm’s insurance and structured finance practices to ensure that transactions take into account the customs and expectations of both markets. He regularly advises US and European financial institutions on the insurance regulatory issues associated with new and complex investment structures, including the evolving changes in regulatory treatment of different types of investments by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Ruthanne Hammett

Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP

Ruthanne C. Hammett is a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP where she practices in the firm's Banking and Commercial Finance department. Her practice includes representing banks, leasing companies, captive finance subsidiaries, borrowers and lessees in loans, structured financing and leases. She has thirty years of experience in a wide variety of commercial finance transactions, including secured, unsecured, syndicated, asset-based, acquisition and lease financing transactions. She is familiar with both large corporate and middle-market lending as well as with sales of loan and lease portfolios and asset acquisitions and dispositions.

Ms. Hammett holds a Bachelor's Degree (cum laude) from Illinois State University and a Juris Doctorate (cum laude) from the University of Illinois. She is member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and is also on her firm's diversity and women's steering committees.

With roots tracing back to 1929, Thompson Coburn LLP has represented clients from every industrial and corporate sector, including energy, banking, transportation, manufacturing and communications. The firm has earned the trust and loyalty of its clients by consistently meeting their expectations for premier legal representation without the high-maintenance character of a typical big firm. Now, with more than 400 lawyers and 40 practice areas operating in offices in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., and Southern Illinois, the firm continues to serve clients throughout the United States and beyond.

Elizabeth Henderson

General Counsel
Altec Capital Services, LLC

Lawrence Holmes

Principal Attorney
Offit Kurman PC

C. Lawrence (“Larry”) Holmes is a Principal and Chair of Offit Kurman’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Since entering private practice in 1993, he has established a track record of landmark legal successes and longstanding client partnerships — work that includes pivotal cases that have impacted Pennsylvania law. Larry focuses his practice on representing finance lease companies and other institutional clients. As a passionate advocate for his clients, he is skilled at humanizing large institutions and effectively communicating with juries and judges.

As a highly skilled litigator, Larry has successfully argued before the Superior and Supreme Courts of Pennsylvania and helped establish new insurance law in Pennsylvania. He secured a milestone victory for a finance lease company when a federal judge denied a motion to certify a class action against it as part of a claim exceeding $37 million. In addition to defending the motion for class certification, Larry obtained summary judgment against the lessees on all claims and counterclaims. He also obtained an order that the lessees were liable, jointly, and severally, for all the leasing company’s legal fees. The decision is a powerful tool for financial institutions in cases and class actions arising from program failures.

An engaging legal thought leader, Larry was appointed to ELFA’s Legal Committee in 2015. He has also presented numerous times at ELFA’s Legal Forum since 2011, most recently as a panelist in the Legal Update and the Ethics presentations in 2023.

Larry received his J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and upon graduation, he served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Chief Justice Robert N. C. Nix, Jr. of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court — writing opinions, providing counsel, and learning the skills of passionate persuasion and respectful dissent that would inform his career.

As an elected Township Commissioner, and President of the Board of Commissioners, Larry is also committed to public and community service. He is currently serving his fifth term as the Sixth Ward Commissioner of Haverford Township, Delaware County, PA, where he has resided with his family for over two decades.

Robert Hornby

Member of the Firm
Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC

An experienced litigator, Robert Hornby represents national and regional banks and finance companies in all aspects of equipment leasing, asset based lending and civil litigation in New York and New Jersey state and federal courts. He regularly counsels clients on a wide range of matters unique to the equipment finance and leasing industry, from drafting master documentation to the enforcement of lessors’ and secured creditors’ rights.

In addition, Robert’s litigation practice extends to the areas of construction law, commercial contract, solar energy litigation, product liability/toxic tort, professional malpractice, trusts and estates and franchise law. He is directly responsible for managing numerous complex litigation matters, including, but not limited to, those involving construction defect, shareholder derivative, restrictive covenant, solar energy and governmental authority issues.

Robert received his law degree cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law, and his undergraduate degree cum laude from the University of Arizona. He served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable David S. Baime, PJAD (ret.) in the New Jersey Appellate Division.

Thomas Hotard CLFP

VP - Program Management and Contracts
Midland Equipment Finance

Thomas Hotard serves as VP, Program Management and Contracts for Midland Equipment Finance, a division of Midland States Bank. He provides legal advice to the business line with a focus on syndications, the review of third-party documentation, and developing and maintaining standard documents, policies and procedures for a nationwide vendor equipment finance business. Thomas is a member of the ELFA Legal Committee and a Certified Lease & Finance Professional. He holds a JD from the University of Missouri and a B.S. from Missouri State University.

Jason Huff

Partner
Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

Ken Ito

null
Hemar, Rousso & Heald, LLP

Ken I. Ito is an attorney with Hemar, Rousso & Heald LLP whose practice consists of complex business and commercial litigation, with a focus on representing lenders in the area of commercial creditor’s rights law.

Mr. Ito has a completed multiple first chair civil jury trials to successful verdict. He also has experience with bench trials, judicial references, and arbitrations.

Mr. Ito earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine.

Adam Jackson

Partner
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Adam's practice focuses primarily on structured finance transactions and asset-based financings.

Adam advises sellers and purchasers on public and private securitization transactions involving various asset classes, including auto loans and leases, railcar leases, residential and commercial mortgage loans, credit cards and trade receivables, and on whole-business securitizations.

Adam regularly acts on cross-border asset-based financings, including cross-border securitizations, factoring arrangements and cross-border lending. He has advised purchasers, sellers and servicers in Canada, the United States and Europe on the Canadian aspects of such cross-border transactions.”

Brian Kestenbaum

Senior Vice President and General Counsel
LEAF Commercial Capital Inc.

Brian Kestenbaum is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. LEAF, headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is one of the leading equipment leasing and finance companies in the U.S. Through its highly automated origination platform, it facilitates the equipment needs of small, mid-sized and enterprise businesses. LEAF serves these needs both directly and through referral relationships with manufacturers, distributors and dealers of essential-use equipment and software in a variety of business sectors, including office products, telephony, technology, medical and light industrial.

Prior to joining LEAF, Mr. Kestenbaum was counsel in the corporate department of Ledgewood, P.C. Previously, Mr. Kestenbaum was an associate at the law firms, Ballard Spahr and Piper & Rudnick LLP. Mr. Kestenbaum is a past chairman of the ELFA Legal Committee.

Mr. Kestenbaum graduated from the Villanova University School of Law, cum laude. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dominic Liberatore

Deputy General Counsel
DLL

Dominic A. Liberatore is the Deputy General Counsel for DLL, a global provider of leasing and business finance solutions, including vendor finance.

Mr. Liberatore has been practicing law for 35 years focusing on leasing and asset based lending, and has served in a variety of senior in-house legal positions with DLL, IOS Capital, Inc. (the captive finance subsidiary of IKON Office Solutions, Inc.), Copelco Financial Services Group, Inc. and the FDIC. Prior to going in-house, Mr. Liberatore was an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City and Wolf Block in Philadelphia. Mr. Liberatore is a past chairman of the ELFA Legal Committee, current ELFA Subcommittee Coordinator and a past chairman of the Subcommittee on Leasing of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee of the ABA Business Law Section. Mr. Liberatore is also a member of the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Equipment Lease Financing.

Mr. Liberatore holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt University and a B.A. from the University of Buffalo.

Leigh Lytle

President and CEO
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

Leigh Lytle is the President and CEO of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. In her role, Ms. Lytle leads the association in executing its mission and delivering on the value proposition to its members. This includes providing a platform to promote and advocate for the industry, including attracting and developing new and diverse talent; a forum for professional development and training; and a resource that develops information about, and for, the industry. She also serves as the President of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (ELFF), which is dedicated to inspiring thoughtful innovation and contributing to the betterment of the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Before joining ELFA, Ms. Lytle served as the Head of North American Policy at Plaid and led education and engagement efforts with regulators and financial institutions. In this role, she advocated for protecting consumers' rights within the digital financial ecosystem and in Washington, D.C. She also served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Financial Technology Association (FTA), which represents innovative companies shaping the future of finance. The industry trade group champions the power of technology-centered financial services and advocates for the modernization of financial regulation to support inclusion and responsible innovation. Before joining Plaid, Ms. Lytle spent over 15 years in the Federal Reserve Bank system in various executive roles ranging from engagements in monetary and regulatory policy to operations and data analytics oversight.

Barry Marks CLFP

Of Counsel
Messerli Kramer

Derek Marks

Alston & Bird LLP

Bonnie Michael

Shareholder
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

Bonnie Michael, a shareholder at Baker Donelson, has more than 20 years of legal experience representing equipment finance companies and the financial services industry. She guides banks, financial institutions, equipment and leasing companies, and other lenders in structuring and negotiating their complex finance transactions, as well as advising on commercial financing disclosure laws and other regulatory matters. She has extensive experience advising clients on motor vehicle fleet financing.

Prior to joining Baker Donelson, Ms. Michael served for more than a decade as the General Counsel and Vice President of Legal and Compliance (USA) for Volvo Financial Services. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Equipment Leasing & Financing Foundation from 2015 – 2021 and is a former member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Legal Committee. From 2010 – 2016, Ms. Michael served as chair of the ELFA Motor Vehicle Subcommittee. She is a frequent presenter on industry topics and actively supports various ELFA legislative initiatives. Ms. Michael is the 2021 recipient of the ELFA's 2021 Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence.
Ms. Michael holds a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and is admitted to practice law in Illinois.

David Miele Esq.

Chief Administrative Officer
Citizens Asset Finance, a division of Citizens Bank, N.A.

David Miele is an SVP and Chief Administrative Officer of Citizens Asset Finance, Inc. (“CAF”)which operates as a division of Citizens Bank, N.A. David has responsibility for CAF’s Documentation Teams (in Warwick, RI and Chicago, IL), the Customer Support Team, Process Improvements and runs the CAF Legal Team of four other attorneys and a paralegal.

David is an active participant with ELFA currently serving on the following subcommittees of the Legal Committee: Capital Markets, Motor Vehicle, Amicus Curiae, Legal Award and Equipment Leasing & Finance Magazine. He previously chaired the Legal Committee in 2006, and served on the ELFA Financial Institutions Business Council Steering Committee from 2013 to 2017. David was the primary drafter of the ELFA Revised Code of Ethics promulgated in 2007. He has been a frequent lecturer at the ELFA Legal Forum and on web based seminars focusing on various aspects of equipment finance and documentation. He has also presented the ELFA Guest Lecture Program at local colleges and universities.

Jennifer Ng

General Counsel
Eastern Funding LLC

Andrea Nicotera

Assistant General Counsel
U.S. Bank

Andrea Nicotera is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel to U.S. Bank National Association in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, Andrea worked for K&L Gates LLP in Portland and Ballard Spahr LLP in Philadelphia where she represented clients in asset-based lending, renewable energy project finance, acquisition finance and real estate transactions. Before becoming a lawyer, Andrea was a project manager for software development projects, first for a small software company and later for a global consulting firm. She served on the ELFA Legal Committee from 2019-2021 and holds a JD from Temple University and a BA from Swarthmore College.

Bradley Nielsen

Partner
Kutak Rock LLP

Brad Nielsen is an attorney in Kutak Rock LLP’s Omaha office practicing in the Finance and Restructuring Group. He has practiced in the finance area for 33 years.

Brad represents financial institutions in many types of complex financing transactions in a wide array of industries, ranging from middle market transactions to large multi-lender syndicated deals. His practice includes: equipment leasing and financing transactions; asset-based lending; revolving and term loan credit facilities; public finance; lease and loan portfolio purchase and sale transactions; participations; vendor program agreements; real estate finance; and restructurings and workouts.

Kutak Rock LLP is a national law firm of more than 500 lawyers with offices from coast to coast in 17 cities. Founded in finance, the firm's primary practice concentrations are business and corporate law, public finance, commercial finance, litigation and real estate law.

Chad Noreuil

Clinical Professor of Law
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University

Chad Noreuil is an award-winning Clinical Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. He is the author of five books and numerous articles on the intersection of mindfulness, neuroscience, and learning theory. He is and active member of the Arizona Chapter of the Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS), and the faculty advisor for the MILS student organization at ASU. For the past fifteen years, he has taught his Zen seminar for lawyers, faculty, and law students across the country. He is also a certified yoga instructor and has served as Secretary and an Executive Board member for the Association of American Law Schools Section on Balance and Well-Being in Legal Education. Professor Noreuil has just finished his sixth book, Five Minutes of Zen: Simple Wisdom for Creating Your Best Life.

Brittany Ogden

Attorney, Partner
Quarles & Brady LLP

Harmony Oswald

Founder & CEO
lucy technologies, inc.

Harmony Oswald, Esq. is a U.S. Army First Infantry Division Veteran, and the founder & CEO of lucy technologies, inc, a fintech startup empowering small to mid-size businesses to earn, protect, and attract more money into their companies via (1) de-risking technologies, (2) industry specific news, and (3) funding events. She’s also the managing attorney at Oswald Law Firm, focused on results driven CA commercial finance litigation & enforcement. In 2016, Harmony earned a Juris Doctor degree and High-Tech Law Certificate with Honors from Santa Clara Law. In 2021, she was featured on the cover and in the Finance/Banking Section of the Silicon Valley Business Journal Book of Lists. Fun fact: Harmony was formerly a contestant on NBC's Fear Factor. To learn more about Harmony, visit harmonyoswald.com

Jean-Paul Perrault

Attorney
McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC

Lisa Peters

Attorney
Kutak Rock LLP

Kenneth Peters

Partner
Dressler & Peters, LLC

Ann Pille

Partner
Reed Smith LLP

Ann is a partner in the Chicago office of Reed Smith's Financial Industry Group. Ann maintains a national practice through which she represents equipment lessors and lenders in connection with transaction originations, including analysis and structuring around risk issues, and restructurings, workouts, distressed debt litigation, foreclosures and insolvency proceedings. Her clients regularly include commercial finance and leasing companies, major banks and hedge funds. Ann’s practice includes a particular focus on the restructuring and workout of distressed fleet finance and franchise finance deals.

Carla Potter

Lawyer
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Carla Potter is a partner in our Financial Services Group. Her practice focuses on corporate financing and equipment finance matters, representing both lenders and borrowers involved in domestic and cross-border lending and leasing transactions and corporate reorganizations. Carla regularly acts for equipment lessors, including U.S. companies looking to establish themselves in Canada. Carla co-authored the authoritative book in Canada on the equipment finance and leasing market in Canada.

Scott Riehl

VP, State Government Relations
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association

Scott Riehl serves as Vice President of State Government Relations for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), the premier trade association representing 575+ member organizations in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector.

Mr. Riehl joined ELFA in June 2016. He directs and executes all aspects of the association’s state government relations strategy, monitoring and engaging legislation and regulation impacting the industry in all 50 states.

Mr. Riehl brings 24 years of direct issue advocacy, legal and legislative staff experience to ELFA. For 13 years he represented the consumer products industry, including serving as Vice President of State Government Affairs and Associate Counsel at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Prior to GMA, Mr. Riehl served as a Vice President at Stateside Associates, a full-service state legislative tracking company, where he provided direct political consultation for numerous Fortune 500 companies and D.C.-based trade associations. Previously, Mr. Riehl was a state affairs specialist for the National Rifle Association of America. Immediately prior to joining ELFA, he led the Riehl Group LLC, a political and strategic issue management and consulting firm based in Virginia.

In the legal and state legislative arenas, Mr. Riehl worked in the Washington, D.C., office of Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather and Geraldson, where he specialized in the firm’s government and defense contracts practice. Previously, he was on the staff of the Michigan Attorney General. Mr. Riehl began his government relations career in the Michigan Senate, where he served as Counsel and Chief Legislative Aide for two Michigan state senators.

Mr. Riehl has a B.S. in Political Science from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from Thomas Cooley School of Law.

Diona Rogers

Partner
Thompson Coburn LLP

Andrew Romshek Esq

Attorney
Kutak Rock LLP

Mr. Romshek is a partner in Kutak Rock LLP's Omaha office practicing in the Finance and Restructuring Group. He focuses his practice on representing financial institutions and borrowers in a wide array of complex financing transactions, including equipment lease facilities, syndicate credit facilities, revolving credit facilities and term loan facilities. A significant portion of Mr. Romshek's practice includes representing major financial institutions in tax-exempt financings in the hospital, nonprofit, affordable housing and state and local government areas.

Deborah Rubin Esq

Taft

Deborah Rubin
Senior Counsel / Detroit (Southfield)
E drubin@taftlaw.com
T (248) 727-1582
F (248) 351-3082

Deborah is an attorney in our Bankruptcy and Restructuring and Commercial Litigation practice groups. She concentrates her practice in all areas of bankruptcy law, including representation of creditors’ committees, corporate debtors, and leasing companies in bankruptcy proceedings and commercial litigation. She also has significant experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in avoidance litigation, fraud, discharge proceedings, relief from the automatic stay, preferences, collection proceedings, and other insolvency actions. Deborah represents businesses with workouts and assignments for the benefit of creditors and provides strategic counsel and creative solutions in all types of bankruptcy and insolvency matters. Deborah has experience with all phases of litigation from inception through resolution, handling matters in state and federal court at the trial and appellate levels.

Practices
Bankruptcy and Restructuring Commercial Litigation

Education
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Oakland University

Admissions
State - Michigan
Federal - U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Federal - U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Speeches and Publications
• Speaker, “Collection Activity and Portfolio Performance in a Recessionary Environment,”
National Equipment Finance Association 2023 Funding Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, October 5, 2023.
• Author, “Bankruptcy Chapter 11,” and “Bankruptcy Chapter 13,” Counsel for the Counselor:
Practice Tips Handbook, State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, September 2001.
• Speaker, “Bankruptcy Basics for Non-Bankruptcy Practitioners,” Commercial Law League of
America National Convention, May 19, 2022.
• Speaker, “Basic Bankruptcy From F to C (Filing to Confirmation); A practical Chapter 11
Overview for the Non-Bankruptcy Practitioner.” Commercial Law League of America Annual Conference, 2019.
• Speaker, “When a Bankruptcy Case is Filed: How an Agency Can Turn Lemons Into
Lemonade,” 2nd Joint Conference of CLLA and IACC, 2017 Mid-Year Conference, Seattle, Washington, July 16, 2017.
• Speaker, “Basic Bankruptcy Form F To C (Filing To Confirmation) A Practical Chapter 11
Overview For The Non-Bankruptcy Practitioner,” CLLA 2016 Fall Conference, New York, November 10, 2016.
• Speaker, “Hidden Liens: What You Don’t Know May Hurt You,” CLLA 2015 National
Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 29, 2015.
• Speaker, “Student Loan Debt – Legal and Collection Issues,” CLLA Eastern Region Conference NY,
New York, November 6, 2014.
• Speaker, “Post-Confirmation Jurisdiction – Was the Suit you are Defending Properly Preserved,”
CLLA National Conference, Chicago, Illinois, 2013.
• Speaker, “Bankruptcy Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 Counsel for the Counselor: Practical Tips
Handbook,” State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section, September 2001.

Awards
• Honoree, Women in the Law, Michigan Lawyers Weekly (2020)

Professional Affiliations
• American Bankruptcy Institute, Member
• Commercial Law League of America, Board of Directors, 2022-present, Chair, Bankruptcy Section,
2020-2022, Chair-Elect, Bankruptcy Section, 2018-2020, Co-Chair, Legislative Committee, 2018- present, Secretary, 2015-2018
• Federal Bar Association, Member
• International Women’s Insolvency Restructuring Confederation, Member
• State Bar of Michigan, Member, Debtors and Creditors’ Rights Section, Chair-Elect, 2022-present

Bradley Salyer

Associate General Counsel
U.S. Bank

Brad Salyer is Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at U.S. Bank National Association, where he is Chief Counsel for the team that provides legal support for U.S. Bank Equipment Finance. Prior to joining the Bank in 2020 he was a shareholder at Morgan Pottinger McGarvey in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was chair of the Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice Group with a practice focused on commercial litigation, business bankruptcy and reorganization, and commercial workouts. Brad was also a chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee in the Western District of Kentucky until 2020.

Molly Simon CLFP

Senior Legal Counsel
DLL

Molly Simon is Senior Legal Counsel for De Lage Landen Financial Services, Inc ("DLL"). Ms. Simon provides legal support to DLL, including providing advice on legal issues related to lease and loan transactions, maintaining and updating standard documentation, developing documentation for new products, reviewing third party documentation and drafting language for customized and negotiated transactions.

Mary Ann Stathopoulos Esq

Managing Attorney
Cisco Systems Capital Corporation

Mary Ann Stathopoulos is a highly experienced Managing Attorney at Cisco Systems Capital Corporation (Cisco Capital), where she provides extensive legal support for the company's Strategy, Product Development, and Global Compliance programs. Throughout her career, Mary Ann has held numerous high-ranking in-house legal roles with major organizations, including CIT, CitiCapital, and HP Financial Services. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University. Additionally, Mary Ann is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP-E).

Michael Stephens

Attorney At Law
Jenkins & Kling, P.C.

Mike has thirty-four years of experience in commercial, business, and financial services litigation and problem solving. Mike provides business solutions to a wide spectrum of clients in banking, equipment finance, construction, and other areas. Mike is also outside general counsel to several clients, managing and resolving all business-related issues and litigation, and managing local attorneys in multiple states.

Mike has taken and defended hundreds of depositions, both friendly and contested, in addition to hours of witness preparation sessions and court testimony. Mike regularly prosecutes and defends claims in federal and state courts and practices in multiple jurisdictions in the United States.

Mike identifies problematic business conduct and provides effective solutions and has insight on how to avoid these problems in the first place.

Scott Thacker CPA, CLFP

Chief Executive Officer
Ivory Consulting Corporation

Mr. Thacker is the Chief Executive Officer of Ivory Consulting Corporation, the software and consulting company that has helped define the modern equipment finance industry with the proven software solutions for modeling, analyzing, and pricing equipment leases and loans, managing equipment, and optimizing portfolios.

Scott is the immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation, where he is founding chair of The 1989 Society, the legacy giving initiative. He is also the founding chair of ELFA Equity, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative.

His previous volunteer roles with the ELFA include being a member of the Board of Directors, a member of the Finance Accounting Committee, chair of the Operations and Technology Committee, and co-director of the Foundation’s Research Committee.

Thacker is a member and DEI lead (leave of absence 2023) of Sand Hill Angels, one of the largest angel investment groups based in Silicon Valley. Previously, he served on the Board of Advisors of StartOut for over ten years and was a judge for the business plan competition for the Wharton Executive MBA program and the Visa Everywhere Initiative. He is a second-generation board member of The Ridgewood School.

Prior to joining Ivory Consulting, he was a partner at Accenture and earlier, a Senior Director at Oracle. Thacker began his career at Arthur Andersen & Co.

Thacker holds an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in Accounting from Wake Forest University. He holds the C.P.A. (active) and C.L.F.P. certificates.

Ryan Thompson

Senior Counsel
PNC Equipment Finance

Ryan Thompson is Senior Counsel with PNC based in Philadelphia supporting its Dealer Finance, and Commercial and Corporate Banking groups. Ryan’s areas of particular expertise are inventory financing, motor vehicles, and equipment leasing and finance. Before joining PNC, Ryan worked at DLL supporting its commercial finance and construction, transportation and industrial businesses and for a regional firm in Pennsylvania practicing creditors rights and commercial lending documentation.

Shayne Vander Esch

Counsel
Wells Fargo Equipment Finance

Shayne Vander Esch serves as Counsel in the Commercial Banking Division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. He provides legal support for Wells Fargo’s Equipment Finance and Vendor Finance businesses. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Shayne was an associate in the Chicago office of Chapman and Cutler LLP. Shayne received his B.A. from Dordt University, his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law, and an MBA from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

Jill Walters

Shareholder
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

Jill offers clients more than 15 years of versatile experience in representing and counseling clients in corporate insolvency, distressed lending, restructuring and bankruptcy, and complex Chapter 11 cases. Her clients include secured and unsecured creditors and creditors’ committees in reorganizations and liquidations nationwide, as well as purchasers and sellers of debt and assets in foreclosure sales, Article 9 sales, and Chapter 11 363 sales. She has extensive experience in bankruptcy litigation centered on the defense of preference and fraudulent transfer actions, as well as dischargeability contests, including significant student loan litigation activity. Her practice spans multiple sectors, including health care, banking and finance, equipment finance, real estate, agriculture, education, transportation, hospitality, retail, construction, and manufacturing.

She has represented national and regional bank lenders, equipment finance lenders and servicers, specialty ag lenders, and farm credit lenders on distressed loans with a mix of collateral types, including real estate, equipment, overall farm production, crops, and live animals. Her primary focus has been working with clients in Chapters 11 and 12 bankruptcy issues, and litigation for perfection and marshaling issues. Additionally, her work focuses on transactions, including forbearances and workouts, and preparing loan modifications and renewals post-default and post-bankruptcy.

Ms. Walters holds leadership positions in the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) and North Carolina Bar Association. She is also active in the Raleigh community, serving on the board of directors of Note in the Pocket and volunteering with Legal Aid of North Carolina and Haven House Services.

Stephen Whelan

Partner
Blank Rome LLP

As a partner in three different law firms for 44 years, Steve Whelan practices law in the New York office of Blank Rome LLP, where he concentrates his practice on lease financings, securitization, energy finance and secured lending. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, has been a member of the ELFA Board of Directors and Legal Committee, Chair of the American Bar Association Subcommittee on Leasing, and a Visiting Lecturer on constitutional law at Princeton University.

Steve is co-author of the ABA Annual Survey on Developments in the Law of Leases. He has authored four books on U.C.C. Article 2A and the “Securitization” chapters in the Matthew Bender & Co. treatises on Commercial Finance and Equipment Leasing. From 2019 to 2022, he was an appointed observer to the ALI-ULC Subcommittee on Bundled Transactions.

William Wilson

Associate General Counsel & Vice President
BMO Transportation Finance

Bill is an Associate General Counsel for BMO Harris Bank N.A., Transportation Finance, US P&C, managing the legal team for Navistar Capital, a private label program with Navistar Financial Corporation, and the traditional core transportation finance business headquartered in Irving, Texas. The BMO Transportation Finance business provides commercial loans and leases to manufacturers, dealers and end users (owner/operators) in the over-the-road trucking industry throughout the United States. Bill is a member of the BMOTF senior leadership team, counseling his clients on Program/Operating Agreement matters, deal structures, transaction negotiations, business policies, enterprise risk management and day-to-day operational issues and strategic business planning.

Bill joined BMO Financial Group in January 2016, as part of BMO's acquisition of the Transportation Finance business from GE Capital. He started with GE Capital in 2004 as Associate General Counsel of Office Imaging for the Equipment Finance business of GE Capital Americas, responsible for legal oversight of the Ricoh Business Systems vendor program (formerly IKON Office Solutions, and world's largest independent distributor for office copiers and business solutions), and core finance business located in Moberly, Missouri, providing private label and lease and loan financing to manufacturers, dealers and end-users in office imaging industry across the United States.

Bill is a member of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) Motor Vehicle Sub-Committee and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Florida.

Seth Yount

Vice President, Legal and Compliance
Amur Equipment Finance