Overview

Mayer Brown is an international leader in representing financial services institutions on contentious, insolvency and regulatory matters. We have broad experience in such matters as lender liability, financial instruments, leveraged buyouts, corporate trust issues, lead lender disputes, automobile leasing, securities law, common law contract and fraud, RICO, and all of the various fraudulent transfer and preference claims that arise out of bankruptcy proceedings. We have been recognized as “Banking Group of the Year” by Law360 for six consecutive years.

We advise global financial institutions on their compliance obligations and the management and avoidance of legal risk. Where disputes arise, we represent those clients in civil proceedings and in other forms of dispute resolution procedure, including mediation and arbitration. We are experienced in the field of regulatory investigations and proceedings, including those conducted by the Financial Services Authority and its successor, the Financial Conduct Authority, in the UK and the US Securities Exchange Commission. We also provide both contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring advice to banks, other lenders, insolvency practitioners, creditors, debtors and directors. Our experience has been supplemented with practical in-house experience and a number of our lawyers are qualified mediators and solicitor-advocates.

We litigate matters on behalf of financial services institutions in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Members of our Banking & Finance Litigation practice regularly represents commercial banks throughout the world, both as plaintiffs and defendants. We have extensive experience in lender liability, letter of credit, breach of contract, fraudulent conveyance and other claims regularly brought by or against banks.

As a result of our representation of international banking institutions, our lawyers have extensive experience in such matters as forum non conveniens grounds for dismissal, cross-border discovery, issues concerning enforcement in the US of foreign judgments and the enforcement abroad of US judgments, and Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act defenses and exceptions.

Experience

Specific areas in which we have acted include:

Representing lenders, creditors, managers and receivers of SIVs and CDOs on issues arising from the "credit crunch" and the fallout from the sub-prime mortgage market.
Advice on contractual and professional negligence issues arising from the flotation of an investment trust and the collapse of the splits market.
Advising hedge funds and other investors/liquidators on shareholder activism and potential claims.
Defending litigation over loan notes following the collapse of a financial institution.
Trade finance disputes including those involving documentary credits.
Advising banks on money laundering issues and requests for evidence in criminal proceedings.
White collar crime.
International fraud and asset tracing.
Asset management and claims concerning the provision of custody services.
Constructive trust claims and defenses.

Currency contracts.
Derivatives.
Project financing disputes.
Restitutionary and mistaken payment claims across a range of banking instruments.
Rights and obligations arising under syndicated lending.
Advising banks generally regarding the enforcement of obligations owed by borrowers and guarantors.
FSA investigations.
Antitrust
Common Law Fraud & Contract
Consumer Protection Laws
Derivatives
Lender Liability
Letters of Credit
Mergers & Acquisitions
Securitization
Uniform Commercial Code