(December 22, 2011, London) – International law firm Reed Smith today announced the addition of Tamara Box as Head of Structured Finance. She joins the firm’s London office as a partner in the Financial Industry Group. Ms. Box was formerly the Head of International Structured Finance at Berwin Leighton Paisner.
Dual qualified in both England and New York, Ms. Box represents and advises leading financial institutions in a wide range of international structured finance matters, including securitizations, derivatives, debt capital markets and debt restructurings. She has advised all participants – including trustees, originators, arrangers, investors and servicers – in relation to securitization across a broad range of asset classes and in multiple jurisdictions. She also regularly advises clients regarding securitizations, high-yield bonds, structured debt restructurings and workouts. Further, she has significant experience with emerging markets financings and Islamic finance.
“I am looking forward to joining the team at Reed Smith,” Ms. Box said. “I am excited about using my experience to drive the building of an exceptional and truly international structured finance practice, and I eagerly await the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Ms. Box has been actively involved in the restructuring of debt capital markets transactions affected by the credit crisis and, in particular, by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, where she is working on restructuring more than 40 Lehman-affected ABS and CMBS transactions. In particular, she has been leading on the high-profile Eurosail UK 2007-3BL proceedings, the Court of Appeals opinion that now forms not only the seminal “balance sheet” insolvency case, but also a defining case in the structuring of securitizations in the UK market.
"This transformative move represents a major step forward in Reed Smith’s structured finance offering. Tamara’s experience, combined with our existing strengths, means we can provide a full-service structured finance practice to industry participants in London and internationally,” said Perry A. Napolitano, Pittsburgh-based Chair of Reed Smith's Financial Industry Group. “Her appointment is the latest of a number of recent key partner hires designed to further enhance the breadth and depth of our global finance capability in line with the complex needs of our international client base.”
Frequently named as a leading practitioner by Legal 500, Chambers, the International Financial Law Review’s Guide to the World’s Leading Structured Finance and Securitisation Lawyers, and the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Ms. Box was recently awarded "Best in Securitisation and Structured Finance" in Euromoney’s first Women in Business Law Awards, June 2011.
"We are delighted to welcome Tamara to Reed Smith, where her addition to the Financial Industry Group represents a significant boost for our largest industry group firmwide,” said Roger Parker, Reed Smith EME Managing Partner. “Her reputation and experience are of the highest calibre, making her perfectly suited to lead the charge in strengthening our structured finance practice in London and the EME region. We are confident that Tamara will play a central role in solidifying our position as a leading global law firm serving the financial services sector, while we continue to invest in the vital London market.”
About Reed Smith’s Financial Industry Group
Reed Smith’s global Financial Industry Group comprises more than 240 transactional, regulatory and litigation lawyers organized on a cross-border and cross-discipline basis. The team advises on transactional finance covering the full spectrum of financial products, litigation, restructuring and bankruptcy, bank and investment business regulation, consumer compliance and investment management. As well as being authorities in their areas of law, FIG lawyers have a particular understanding of the commercial and regulatory challenges currently facing the financial services industry, the financial markets, and financial products, enabling them to evaluate risks and to anticipate and identify the legal support needed by clients.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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