Clay C. Thomas > Vedder Price > Los Angeles, United States > Lawyer Profile
Vedder Price Offices
1925 Century Park East Suite 1900
Los Angeles
California 90067
CALIFORNIA
United States
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Clay C. Thomas
Work Department
Global Transportation Finance
Position
Shareholder
Career
Mr. Thomas counsels a variety of clients including airlines, equipment manufacturers, borrowers, lenders, lessors, lessees and other debt and equity investors engaged in debt, equity and lease financing transactions. He focuses his practice on the aviation and rail industries and has represented clients in U.S. and cross-border sale, lease and financing transactions, including aircraft and rolling stock portfolio acquisitions, sale-leaseback transactions, operating leases, leveraged leases, export credit agency financings, mortgage financings, pooled collateral/warehouse loan facilities, asset-backed securitizations and enhanced equipment trust certificate transactions as well as aircraft and railcar investment fund formations and joint ventures.
Prior to joining Vedder Price, Mr. Thomas, also a certified public accountant, served as a tax accountant in a public accounting firm concentrating on corporate, partnership and international taxation matters.
Education
- University of Notre Dame Law School, J.D., 2009, cum laude
- University of Texas at Arlington, M.A., 2004
- Oklahoma State University, B.S., 2001
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Transport > Rail and road: finance
(Next Generation Partners)Vedder Price‘s sizeable transportation asset finance and securitization practice is consistently sought out by lessors, lenders, manufacturers, government agencies, equity investors and operators for major transactions, including complex railcar portfolio securitizations, and railcar purchases and sales. The team also fields experts in domestic and international leasings and debt financings of rail assets, in addition to advising both borrowers and lenders on railcar warehouse and term loan facilities involving bankruptcy remote borrowers. Among the department’s several experienced partners, rail finance structuring specialist Michael E. Draz ‘provides great counsel‘, New York-based Jeffrey Veber routinely represents lenders in transportation finance matters, and Clay C. Thomas in Los Angeles advises on acquisition, leasing and financing deals. Also integral to the group is John T. Bycraft, who is an expert in structured finance transactions involving rolling stock portfolios, while Geoffrey Kass chairs the firm’s global transportation finance practice. Within the enviable associate pool, Joel R. Thielen is experienced in representing private equity and hedge funds, commercial banks, operating lessors and manufacturers in railcar financing structures, and Jillian S. Greenwald‘s practice covers a range of transactions involving rolling stock portfolios. All practitioners listed are based in Chicago unless otherwise stated.
Lawyer Rankings
- Next Generation Partners United States > Transport > Rail and road: finance
- Rail and road: finance United States > Transport
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Transport > Rail and road: finance
Firm Rankings
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Transport > Shipping: finance
- Labor and employment > Labor-management relations
- Investment fund formation and management > Mutual/registered/exchange-traded funds
- Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense