SRZ Expands Its Leading Structured Finance Practice

SRZ is pleased to announce the addition of leading attorneys Boris Ziser and  Thomas R. Weinberger as partners in the Structured Products & Derivatives Group, resident in the firm's New York office. Mr. Ziser and Mr. Weinberger come to SRZ from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP.

Mr. Ziser, who will co-head the Structured Products & Derivatives Group, is a preeminent practitioner in the asset-backed securities market and brings to SRZ over 20 years of experience across diverse asset classes. He has expertise in public and private asset-backed securitizations, warehouse facilities, secured financings and commercial paper conduits. His practice encompasses a variety of asset classes, including life settlements, equipment leases, structured settlements, lottery receivables, timeshare loans, litigation advances, cell towers and franchise loans, in addition to other esoteric asset classes such as intellectual property. Mr. Ziser also represents investors, lenders, hedge funds, private equity funds and finance companies in purchases and dispositions of portfolios of assets and financings secured by those portfolios.

Mr. Weinberger has had a distinguished career focusing his practice on asset-backed securities and corporate finance, with an emphasis on insurance and risk-linked securities and specialty finance companies. He has expertise in life settlements, reserve funding transactions, premium finance, longevity and pension risk transfer, alternative risk transfer and marketplace lending and other non-bank finance products. He advises clients on the formation of domestic and offshore funds that invest in the life settlement and premium finance asset classes.

"We are excited to welcome Boris and Tom to the firm. They have an outstanding reputation and bring with them extensive experience working on complex transactions," commented Paul N. Watterson, Jr., SRZ partner and co-head of the Structured Products & Derivatives Group.

"The addition of these two highly regarded attorneys further strengthens our depth of practice. We are pleased to have them join the firm," said Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of the firm's Executive Committee and chair of the Tax Group.

SRZ has been active in the securitization market for over 25 years and covers both transactional and regulatory work. The firm has one of the largest groups of structured finance attorneys of any law firm. They structure and negotiate a variety of complex structured and securitized products on behalf of investment managers, issuers, placement agents and investors.

Commenting on their move, Mr. Ziser said, "SRZ is a firm well-known for its leading investment management and structured finance practices. We look forward to working with this excellent team and further expanding the firm's practice and services to clients." Mr. Ziser received his B.A., with honors, from Oberlin College and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Mr. Weinberger earned his B.S., magna cum laude, from Yeshiva University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.