Overview
Clients look to George Miller for his advice in international and domestic finance and leasing, in particular in the infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors. Clients leverage his experience working on high-profile transactions in the projects and infrastructure space.
US and non-US parties look to George for representation in domestic and cross-border lease and loan financings of aircraft, rolling stock, containers, vessels and other equipment and facilities, including structured financings in the capital markets.
Both domestic and international clients turn to George for counsel on project and infrastructure finance work involving airports and ports, toll roads and railroads, power, transmission, pipeline, telecommunications and other projects.
George has represented clients such as Morgan Stanley, Apollo Global Management, Citigroup, BNP Paribas, MUFG and others.
Areas of Focus
Spoken Languages
- English
- French
Experience
Represented:
- Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC as underwriter in the issuance of over $4 billion principal amount of tax-exempt private activity bonds and taxable notes for the benefit of the Brightline Florida passenger rail project.
- Credit Suisse, Bank of America, Wells Fargo Securities and others as underwriters of nearly $4 billion of railcar lease-backed securities to finance the acquisition of railcars from Trinity Industries, Inc., a railcar manufacturer and lessor, by subsidiaries and joint ventures of Trinity and by other lessors managed by Trinity.
- Lenders and underwriters in financings of long-term concessions over 50 service plazas on the New York State Thruway (a $270 million private activity bond led by Citigroup) and various highways in Connecticut (a series of refinancings led by ING Capital and KeyBank).
- Sojitz Corporation of America in its acquisition of Southwest Rail Industries, a US railcar lessor.
- The lenders in connection with the out-of-court restructuring of the project financing of Sandy Creek Energy Station.
- Several creditors in and following Chapter 11 proceedings filed by Avianca, LATAM and Aeromexico airlines, Waypoint Leasing, CHC Helicopter and Salem Harbor Power Development.
- Industrial Bank of Korea, ICBC and Agricultural Bank of China in a $120 million financing of the acquisition by a consortium led by InfraPartners Management LLP of a minority interest in an LNG terminal in Chile, the first investment by a South Korean financial institution in a South American infrastructure asset.
- Cap Cana, S.A., a Dominican luxury resort developer, in its successful exchange of two series of senior secured notes for a single series of notes issued by a newly created Cayman special-purpose vehicle and secured by a number of undeveloped properties transferred to the new issuer by Cap Cana, coupled with a consensual foreclosure on the collateral securing the existing notes pursuant to which Cap Cana reacquired control of such collateral.
- A lender in connection with the refinancing of a private bulk cargo port terminal in Florida.
- The Port Authority of Jamaica in the $600 million concession and lease of the Kingston Container Terminal to an affiliate of CMA CGM, which was named 2016 North America Port Deal of the Year by IJGlobal.
- Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, as representative of the several underwriters, in offerings of $550 million offering of pass through certificates by Union Pacific Railroad Company. The proceeds were used to purchase equipment trust certificates issued to finance the acquisition of 241 locomotives by the railroad.
- Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., as initial purchasers, in a $500 million offering under Rule 144A and Regulation S of pass-through certificates by BNSF Railway Company. The proceeds were used to purchase equipment notes issued to finance or refinance the acquisition of 318 locomotives by the railroad.
- A large US-based investment manager in a predelivery payment financing of Boeing aircraft being acquired by a Dublin, Ireland-based commercial aircraft lessor.
- A US-based savings bank in predelivery payment financings of Boeing aircraft for four European airlines.
- Export Development Canada and Aviation Finance Company in predelivery payment financings for Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft.
- A major financial institution, as administrative agent on behalf of four overlapping lending syndicates, in connection with the out-of-court restructuring of a series of project finance loans for four advanced proton cancer therapy centers across the US.
- Macquarie Funds Management in the acquisition of a minority interest in Eagle Creek Renewable Energy LLC, a US hydroelectric generation company, from clean energy investment firm Hudson Clean Energy Partners LP.
- Lenders to one of the short-listed consortia that bid, and counsel for one of the lenders to the winning bidder, on the first $1.4 billion 40-year toll road concession offered under Puerto Rico’s PPP program. The project includes unique provisions related to the construction and operation and maintenance of express bus lanes/managed lanes within the median of the project. The project was named “2011 Highway PPP Deal of the Year” by Project Finance International.
- Financing parties in the $1.6 billion Denver FasTracks Eagle P3 Project, Denver, Colorado. Named Project Finance Magazine’s 2010 North American Transport Deal of the Year, and a 2010 Regional Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer.
- The Dominican Republic in connection with the settlement of arbitrations with affiliates of TCW regarding their investment in electric distributor EDE Este.
- Senior lenders to the $1.6 billion I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements Project, Broward County, Florida. Named Project Finance Magazine’s 2009 North American Transport Deal of the Year and P3 Bulletin’s 2020 Gold award recipient for best operational transport project.
- Industrias Nacionales C. por A. of the Dominican Republic in connection with a $65 million export receivables financing led by HSH Nordbank.
- Lenders in the proposed $300 million financing of an automotive supply project in Indiana.
- Banco Inbursa, S.A. in a $200 million loan to Net Serviços de Comunicação, S.A.
- A Latin American company in a proposed financing of sugar beet ethanol plants in Colombia.
- OHL Brasil S.A. in a bid for a thirty-year concession to improve, operate and maintain the western section of the São Paulo ring road, Brazil.
- Merrill Lynch in a $125 million loan to an affiliate of Usinas Itamarati S.A. of Brazil.
- Transchile Charrúa Transmisión S.A. in a $51 million financing of a 205 kilometer high-tension transmission line in Chile by Inter-American Development Bank and Santander Central Hispano S.A.
- Empresa Eléctrica Guacolda S.A. in a $260 million financing of an expansion of its existing coal-fired steam turbine generating station in Chile.
- Northwest Airlines in a $450 million registered offering of enhanced equipment trust certificates to finance the acquisition of 27 Embraer regional jets.
- UBS in a $250 million bridge loan to JBS S.A. of Brazil in connection with its acquisition of Swift Foods Company.
- Merrill Lynch & Co., as dealer, in connection with offering by Hidroeléctrica Piedra del Aguila S.A., a producer of hydroelectric power based in Argentina, of $100 million of 9% Notes due 2017.
- Perry Capital Corp. in a $400 million secured loan to an affiliate of Cheniere Energy, Inc.
- ABN AMRO, Calyon and Citigroup in connection with a $1.2 billion bridge loan to Braskem S.A. of Brazil to finance its acquisition of petrochemical assets.
- Sociedad Concessionaria Autopistas los Libertadores in connection with an offering of the equivalent of $45 million of bonds to finance a 120km toll road in Santiago, Chile, which bonds were insured by XL Capital Assurance Inc., and an affiliate in another $32 million-equivalent bond issue for a toll road in Chile, which was insured by Financial Security Assurance Inc.
- Prospective financing parties in a bid for the Port of Miami Tunnel concession in Florida.
- Operadora Hotelera del Corredor Mayakoba, S.A. de C.V. in the $91 million refinancing of the Fairmont Mayakoba Hotel in the Riviera Maya in Mexico by Aareal Bank AG.
- MBJ Airports, Ltd. in the $85 million financing by IFC of a long-term concession to make improvements to and operate Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
- Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI in the $125 million financing of a long-term concession to build, refurbish and operate six airports in the Dominican Republic by IFC and Export Development Canada
Perspectives
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April 2001
Emerging Market Growing Pains: Lessons of the California Power Crisis
Fordham International Law Journal, Vol. 24, No. 4 -
2005/6
Implications of Overseas Privatizations for U.S. Airport Financing
Euromoney’s Transportation Finance Review
Education
Harvard Law School, JD
Harvard Kennedy School , MPA
Yale University, BA, magna cum laude
Admissions
- New York
- District of Columbia
Court
- US District Court for the Southern District of New York
Activities
- New York City Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association, Editorial Board, Committee on Publications
- American Bar Association, Project Finance and Development and Aircraft Finance Subcommittees and Forum on Air & Space Law, Commercial Finance Committee, Business Law Section
- Rail Working Group, Luxembourg Rail Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment
- Law360, Member of the Project Finance editorial advisory board
- Ranked for Transport: Rail and Road Finance – Legal 500
- A "Lawyer of the Year" for Project Finance Law – The Best Lawyers in America