King & Spalding LLP's team is 'acutely focused on the financing and leasing of railroad rolling stock‘. The practice represents major US banks in their acquisitions and dispositions of rail assets, as well as the leasing and financing of those assets. It has extensive experience in financing structures for rolling stock, locomotives, chassis, containers, automobiles, tractors, and other equipment across North America. In Atlanta, Carolyn Alford leads both the financial services and leveraged finance and restructuring teams, while Jeff Dutson  is a restructuring and bankruptcy specialist. In the Charlotte office, the ‘exemplary‘ Christopher Buchanan is experienced in a wide variety of transportation-related financing structures that include cash flow and asset-based loan facilities. Buchanan’s recent track record includes advising clients on the unwinding and disposing of rolling stock in leveraged leases, and structuring finance transactions for fleets of vehicles and other hard assets. Also in Charlotte, associate Kathryn Wilson routinely represents parties in railcar leases, as well as acquisition and disposition deals. In 2021, former transportation finance group head Jason Huff departed the firm.

Vedder Price‘s team has an enviable track record in representing lessors, lenders, manufacturers, government agencies, equity investors and operators. It routinely assists with the domestic and international leasing and debt financing of rail assets. The firm is able to leverage dedicated transportation asset finance and securitization lawyers in Chicago, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as from its London and Singapore offices. With extensive experience in railcar financings, structured finance specialist Geoffrey R. Kass chairs the global transportation finance team. Also  integral to the group are John T. Bycraft, who represents borrowers, issuers, servicers and lenders on structured finance transactions involving rolling stock portfolios; and Michael E. Draz, who is ‘unmatched in his pragmatism, collaboration, sharpness, efficiency, and lack of ego‘. In New York, Jeffrey T. Veber is a transportation finance expert, while Los Angeles-based Clay C. Thomas is a rail industry specialist. At associate level, Joel R. Thielen‘s practice includes rail finance deals, while Jillian S. Greenwald regularly assists with railcar financings. All attorneys mentioned are based in the firm’s Chicago office unless otherwise mentioned.

Mayer Brown‘s New York-based practice has a strong track record in the rail and automotive sectors. George Miller focuses his practice on international and domestic finance and leasing, particularly in relation to the infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors. Barbara Goodstein is a specialist in commercial and structured financing, along with restructuring deals.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s wide-ranging automotive practice routinely acts for traditional automakers, suppliers, technology developers and financial institutions. The group is increasingly focused on connected cars, autonomous vehicle development, ride-share platforms, and electrical vehicles and other alternative forms of vehicle power. Heading up the firm’s automotive and mobility industry practice, Philip Russell, who works across the firm’s Chicago and New York offices, acts on a variety of automotive-related corporate and structured finance transactions. Also key to the team is Silicon Valley and San Francisco-based commercial, IP and technology transactions specialist Rahul Kapoor. In New York, Robert Dickey‘s experience includes advising automotive and mobility sector companies, while the practice of global structured transactions practice head Reed Auerbach includes auto loan and lease receivables.