DLA Piper appoints Joe Stefano as Finance Partner in New York

DLA Piper has strengthened its Latin America-focused team by welcoming Finance Partner Joe Stefano to the firm’s New York office, after 22 years at Allen & Overy.

Joe has over 25 years of extensive experience in structuring and restructuring a wide range of secured and unsecured financings in connection with corporate finance, trade and export finance, large asset finance and project finance, energy and infrastructure transactions, including many bespoke or first-of-a-kind structures.

Joe regularly advises banks (as lender, arranger, agent or trustee), financial services companies, insurance companies, funds, multilateral and government agencies, airlines, leasing companies and other corporate clients, providing him with an invaluable 360° perspective on transactional issues. He has extensive experience in cross-border transactions, having closed deals with parties based in more than 70 different jurisdictions.

His experience includes representing major arrangers and lenders in connection with a series of $3 billion equipment finance credit facilities for a telecommunications company, with the support of three different export credit agencies; representing a U.S.-based alternative and special situations credit provider in connection with a U.S.-based base facility; and representing a U.S.-based alternative and special situations credit provider in connection with a U.S.-based base facility for a U.S.-based alternative and special situations credit provider in connection with a U.S.-based alternative and special situations credit facility for a U.S.-based alternative credit provider. in connection with a secured borrowing base facility for an automobile rental company; and representation of the sole structurer and arranger in connection with a first-of-its-kind "Blue Bond" transaction that provided financing to a Central American country to enable it to restructure its sovereign debt and establish a marine conservation fund, with the benefit of political risk insurance.

"Joe’s expertise in asset-based lending, export and trade finance, and agency lender and trustee work will be an important addition to our lender-based institutional finance practice," said John Cusack, global co-chair of the firm’s finance practice.

"With his strong structured lending and asset finance practice, the New York office is confident that Joe’s experience will be a strong draw for our financial sector clients," said Cara Edwards, managing partner of the New York office.