Winston & Strawn has appointed Bill Bowers as chair of transportation structured finance, a new industry team in the firm’s New York office in the corporate and transactional department.
Bowers represents underwriters, placement agents, issuers, lessors, lenders, and liquidity providers in a variety of structured finance and securitization transactions involving transportation assets, including aircraft, vehicles, vessels, and railcars.
Led by Bowers, the Winston transportation structured finance practice will focus on structured finance and securitization financings for the full range of transportation assets, including aircraft, aircraft engines, ships, railroad rolling stock, and containers; as well as the restructuring, transfer, and repackaging of such financings.
“Bill has a long and significant practice in this area of structured finance and is a valuable addition to the firm,” said Tom Fitzgerald, Winston’s firmwide managing partner. “A critical part of our growth strategy is enhancing our competencies in key practice areas in the New York, Houston, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C. markets.”
“With the addition of Bill to the team, we are able to further contribute and provide a full range of services to meet our growing client needs in the financing of transportation assets,” said Dominick DeChiara, chair of Winston’s corporate and transactional department.
Bowers previously served as general counsel to GPA Capital in Shannon, Ireland and Associate General Counsel to GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) in Stamford, Connecticut. While at GPA Capital and GECAS, he was responsible for the development of the first securitizations of debt backed by portfolios of aircraft on operating leases to a variety of unrated airlines, as well as the liquidity facility in the first airline enhanced equipment trust certificate financing. Since then, he has been involved in such financings for almost all US major airlines and has been responsible for a number of award winning portfolio securitizations.
Bowers joins Winston from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.