Overview

Mayer Brown’s Structured Products team comprises experienced lawyers with market-leading experience and has been recognized with numerous accolades from Structured Products magazine, Structured Retail Products, GlobalCapital and industry guides, including Chambers, IFLR1000 and Legal 500. The Legal 500 US noted that our lawyers are “…well versed in bank regulatory, corporate, and securities law…” and that we are “….often called upon by clients to help develop new structures.”

Financial institution issuers of structured products, their broker-dealer affiliates, distributors, platform providers, and other market participants seek out our market knowledge. Commenting on our market awareness, clients told Chambers USA that they “admire [our team’s] capacity to innovate and [their] ingenuity,” and that our lawyers are “very plugged in to the details of the market,” utilizing that “in an efficient way to craft solutions."

We assist clients from formulation of a new product or new reference index, through new product committee approval, to documentation and, subsequently, assist with regulatory, compliance and oversight issues, as well as with distribution relationships and ongoing program maintenance. We have extensive experience with SEC-registered and exempt offering programs. We can assist with:

Establishing, Modifying and Maintaining Programs. Our lawyers have been involved in establishing programs for many financial institutions, as well as modifying outstanding programs to accommodate new product developments, changing regulatory or tax considerations and changes in market practice.

Securities Law Compliance. Our lawyers work closely with clients to prepare offering documentation that complies with federal, state and international securities laws.

Banking Law Compliance. Our experienced bank regulatory lawyers assist clients subject to US and international banking laws in addressing the regulatory issues faced by such institutions when they use structured products to raise capital. Our clients include US bank holding companies and federal and state chartered banks, as well as foreign banking organizations.

Executing Transactions. We understand that transactions require timely attention. We handle large issuance volumes with rigorous attention to detail and efficient execution.

Tax Analysis and Disclosure. Our tax lawyers are widely considered financial products experts and have extensive experience in analyzing proposed structures. They also assist clients in preparing appropriate tax disclosure for the various types of structured products that may be issued under an issuance program.

Structuring Assistance. We are often asked by clients to assist with product development and index development. Product development may involve analysis of applicable securities and banking laws, consideration of market practice, knowledge of the related derivatives and commodities market and analysis of relevant tax and ERISA issues. Our lawyers are known for their creativity.

Client Resources
We regularly offer our clients training programs and provide updates on SEC, FINRA and other developments as well as additional Structured Products and Regulatory Materials.

Best Law Firm for Structured Products 2023
Structured and Market-Linked Products Brochure
Structured Products Legal and Regulatory Materials

Accolades

Chambers Europe

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance (Germany)

“Mayer Brown offers a versatile capital markets practice with a solid footing in the securitisation and derivatives market… regularly advises on complex documentation issues under EU prospectus regimes for structured products, initial margin documentation and EMIR requirements. It is also mandated for its experience in OTC transactions and master agreements, further assisting with loan and trade receivables securitisation. Mayer Brown's clientele mostly comprises national and international banks, which benefit from the law firm's global network and capability to effectively handle cross-border mandates." Chambers Europe

Chambers Global

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Securitisation & Derivatives (Global: Multi-jurisdictional)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance (Germany)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance & Derivatives (UK)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Derivatives (USA)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Products (USA)

“An esteemed firm with excellent securitisation, structured finance and derivatives capital markets practices.”

“‘We are impressed with Mayer Brown's knowledge and experience in dealing with sophisticated set-ups and multi-jurisdictional issues.’" Chambers Global (Client Testimonial)

Chambers UK

Ranked for Capital Markets: Derivatives (London firms)

“‘They are excellent at finding workable solutions to complex structuring problems within short timeframes.’” Chambers UK (Client Testimonial)

Chambers USA

 Ranked for Capital Markets: Derivatives (London firms)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Products (Nationwide)

“Mayer Brown is a market-leading structured products practice with outstanding practitioners able to advise on the structuring of notes. The firm also has notable experience in the distribution of structured certificates of deposit, and practitioners also frequently advise on the changing regulatory environment, making the firm a choice practice for financial investors seeking guidance on the market.” Chambers USA

GlobalCapital Americas Derivatives Awards

"US Law Firm of the Year – Transactions" 2022, 2021, 2020

"Americas Law Firm of the Year" 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018

"US Law Firm of the Year – Regulatory" 2017, 2016

“Be it giving guidance on the cross-border implications of post-crisis regulations or advising on the execution of an esoteric trade, the firm has built a business that can deal with a range of cross-border complexities for both US and non-US clients.” GlobalCapital

GlobalCapital Global Derivatives Awards

"European Law Firm of the Year (Transactional)" 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017

"Global Law Firm of the Year (Overall)", 2019

"European Law Firm of the Year (Regulatory)", 2016

“Mayer Brown has a practice with equal depth in both New York and English derivatives law, the two regimes that govern 90% of the global derivatives market…. Together with its partners in continental Europe and Hong Kong, Mayer Brown is a truly global derivatives practice. As a result, it has a seat on most banks’ panels of law firms.” GlobalCapital

IFLR1000

Ranked for Capital Markets: Derivatives (United Kingdom)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Derivatives (United States)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitisation (United States)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitisation (Germany)

Ranked for Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitization (Hong Kong)

The Legal 500 Germany

Ranked for Structured Finance and Securitisation

The Legal 500 UK

Ranked for Derivatives and Structured Products (London)

Ranked for Securitisation (London)

“Clients note that its lawyers ‘understand the commercial side of things and the team is easy to deal with compared to other law firms’.” The Legal 500 UK

The Legal 500 US

Ranked for Structured Finance: Derivatives & Structured products

Ranked for Tax: Financial Products

“Counting banks, broker-dealers, investment platforms and trade associations among its key roster of clients, Mayer Brown covers the full range of transactional and regulatory mandates in the derivatives and structured products arenas, and is complemented by a robust investigations and enforcement practice.” The Legal 500 US

SRP Americas Awards

Named “Law Firm of the Year” at StructuredRetailProducts’ (SRP) 2022 Americas Awards

US News Best Lawyers/Law Firms

2023 “Law Firm of the Year” for Securitization and Structured Finance Law (National)