For five consecutive years, including 2026, and for the seventh time in the last nine years, our team has been named “Americas Law Firm of the Year (Overall)” by GlobalCapital at its annual Derivatives Awards.  We have also been named by GlobalCapital “US Law Firm of the Year” six times in the last seven years, including 2026, and “European Law Firm of the Year“ four times in the last seven years. We were named Law Firm of the Year by Structured Retail Products four times in the last five years, including in 2026 at the SRP Americas Awards.

Chambers UK says our practice “has its finger on the pulse with ISDA and transatlantic regulatory work” and provides “military-style turnaround, good value and a deep bench.”  The Legal 500 UK says our practice “has significant scale and genuine cross-discipline experience, [and] a mindset that builds relationships and a commitment to giving high-quality advice,” while adding “fast responses and excellent value give clients great confidence in Mayer Brown.”  Clients told The Legal 500 Germany that our team “‘consists of exceptional lawyers and combines deep sector-leading experience in derivatives and structured products with a genuinely client-first mindset.’”  Ranked Tier 1 by The Legal 500 US, the guide notes “[The team] is well-placed to leverage the firm’s international footprint…” and has said the practice has “played a significant role in assisting banks and trade organizations with adjusting to new US regulatory requirements.”

Derivatives transactional work

We are market leaders in using derivatives as components of, or in connection with, highly structured financings, such as with deal contingent swaps involving F/X or commodities, issuer-based equity derivatives, including structured share repurchase programs, call spreads, capped call and call-warrant structures, monetization structures and related structures, as well as with the use of structured derivatives transactions to support or supplement financing for funds and other investors.

Insurance

Frequently, derivatives and insurance intersect. Insurance companies often find that it may be more favorable to invest in, or to access, particular assets indirectly rather than through direct investments that may result in a risk-based capital requirement.  We help insurance company clients structure arrangements that provide access to commodities, equities, funds, etc. through derivatives or through structured notes.  Similarly, we often repackage assets, incorporating derivatives and securities lending agreements, including some credit enhancement, to provide access to desired exposures or for liability management purposes.  In addition, from time to time, we help our structured note issuer clients with licensing their quantitative investment strategy indices to insurance companies that are annuity providers to form the basis for fixed index annuities and registered index-linked annuities or RILAs.

Repackaging

We have a leading repackaging practice.  We advise financial institutions clients in the United States and in Europe on the establishment of repackaging funding vehicles in offshore jurisdictions, including, the Channel Islands, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands, as well as Delaware series trusts. We assist clients with repack products designed to achieve different purposes, which may include funding, replicating structured products, providing credit diversification, functioning as access vehicles offering exposure to particular asset classes in security form, etc.

Synthetic/Credit Risk Transfer

We have led the banking industry in developing credit risk transfer (“CRT”) trades as a technique for managing balance sheet risk and reducing regulatory capital charges.  In recent years, including 2026, we were named North America Law Firm of the Year by Structured Credit Investor for our CRT work.  We were also named 2026 SRT Law Firm of the Year by GlobalCapital.  Mayer Brown is at the forefront of advising on the special and complex features of CRT across asset classes, delivering our world-class services to both our clients and the investors and companies that they support. CRTs require experience in derivatives, securitization, financial services regulatory, and tax, areas where we have demonstrated depth.

Commodities, commodities finance and energy-related work

Our lawyers advise banks, commodity trading houses, producers, utilities, funds and corporate end users across the commodities markets, including energy, power, metals and agricultural products.  We structure, document and negotiate OTC and exchange-traded commodity derivatives (swaps, forwards, options and collars) as well as physically settled transactions, under ISDA, NAESB, EEI and other industry-standard master agreements.

We are also active in commodity finance, where derivatives and physical commodity arrangements support or secure financings.  We advise hedge providers and borrowers on secured hedging arrangements that share collateral with lenders, including related intercreditor arrangements, and on hedges provided by counterparties that are not also lenders.  Our work extends to inventory monetization and intermediation, supply and offtake arrangements, prepayment and repurchase structures, borrowing base and trade finance facilities for commodity traders, and deal-contingent and long-term hedges supporting acquisition and project financings.  We work closely with our Global Energy practice on power, oil and gas, and renewables transactions, and with our Agri, Food & Beverage practice on hedging and financing transactions and strategies for agricultural producers, processors and traders.

Regulatory advice

We help clients adapt to changes in the United States derivatives market brought about by the Dodd-Frank Act and in the European derivatives market by European Market Infrastructure Regulation (“EMIR”), Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (“MiFid”) and Basel III-related frameworks including the EU’s Capital Requirements Regulation ("CRR"), Capital Requirements Directive (“CRD IV”). We are at the forefront of developments to assist financial institutions achieve greater levels of capital efficiency, and a return to product development in a post-reform environment.

We provide guidance and resources relating to the overhaul of regulatory capital requirements proposed by US banking regulators, including the Basel III “Endgame” proposals put forward by U.S. Regulators.  We advise banks, dealers and their counterparties on how these proposals may affect the capital treatment of derivatives and securities financing transactions, including counterparty credit risk, credit valuation adjustment (“CVA”) risk and market risk, and on related documentation, structuring and capital-efficiency strategies.

We assist clients in the United States, Europe and Asia in navigating their obligations under the US Commodity Exchange Act and US federal securities laws. We work closely with clients on formulating and implementing compliance programs.  We represent clients in discussions with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and self-regulatory organizations (“SROs”), including FINRA and the National Futures Association, with respect to novel issues.  We count among our partners former staff of key U.S. regulatory agencies, including the CFTC and the SEC.

We advise commodity market participants on their obligations under the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC rules, including swap dealer, position limit, reporting, commodity pool, and end-user exception matters, and we coordinate with colleagues on related Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) and exchange matters.

The group frequently represents the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) and other industry groups, both on major initiatives by ISDA in response to the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as post-reform matters; and has formidable experience in advising on persisting Brexit-related derivatives matters.

Enforcement and investigations capabilities

We represent firms—including major financial institutions, commodity trading firms and proprietary trading firms, as well as traders and brokers—subject to investigations and enforcement actions by the government and SROs with respect to matters involving disruptive trading practices, wash trades, manipulation, unauthorized trading, block trades, non-competitive trading, supervisory failures and fraud, among other issues, including matters in energy, metals and agricultural commodity markets.

Tax-related derivatives advice

New developments relating to the taxation of derivatives continue to emerge. Our tax lawyers advise financial institutions, funds and corporate end users on the US federal income tax treatment of derivatives and structured products.

Broker-dealer regulatory

Our team includes broker-dealer regulatory lawyers aligned in our advice related to securities regulation, new products or services, in addition to capital markets, compliance and enforcement. Many of our broker-dealer matters involve cutting-edge questions requiring deep regulatory experience in the traditional securities and derivatives space and the ability to apply traditional concepts to novel products. To read more, visit our dedicated Broker-Dealer Regulation & Compliance page.

Structured products

Mayer Brown has one of the leading U.S. and European structured products practices, ranked Tier 1 in the structured products categories of Chambers USA, IFLR1000 and The Legal 500 US and highly ranked by Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK and The Legal 500 Germany.  To read more, visit our dedicated Structured Products capabilities page.

Chambers UK

• Capital Markets: Structured Finance & Derivatives (UK-wide)
• Capital Markets: Structured Products (UK-wide)

“Sources say: ‘They have a very good geographical reach, and they can give clients a good steer as to what is possible in those jurisdictions,’ adding that ‘they're very proactive in answering questions, and can propose solutions to roadblocks.’"

Chambers USA

• Derivatives (Nationwide)
• Capital Markets: Structured Products (Nationwide)

“Frequently provides regulatory advice to trade associations, asset managers and banks on issues concerning Dodd-Frank and the Volcker Rule. Also handles extensive transactional work for banking clients and offers notable experience advising on the netting process, as well as margin loans and equity derivatives.”

GlobalCapital Derivatives Awards

• “Americas Law Firm of the Year (Overall)” 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018
• “US Law Firm of the Year (Overall)” 2026, 2025, 2023, 2022
• “US Law Firm of the Year – Transactions” 2021, 2020
• “European Law Firm of the Year (Overall)” 2024
• "European Law Firm of the Year (Transactional)" 2021, 2020, 2018, 2017

“Mayer Brown is at the cutting-edge of the global derivatives market. The firm’s global reach, its interdisciplinary approach and its experience across the entire asset class have made it the practice of choice from Toronto to Rio De Janeiro. For its exemplary coverage across the US and the Americas, Mayer Brown is the deserved winner of best law firm in both categories.”

“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.”

“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.”

IFLR1000

• Germany: Capital markets: Structured finance and securitisation
• United Kingdom: Capital markets: Derivatives
• United States: Capital markets: Derivatives (National)

JUVE

• Capital Markets/DCM
• Structured Finance

The Legal 500 Germany

• Structured finance and securitisation - Derivatives

The Legal 500 Hong Kong

• Structured finance and securitisation

The Legal 500 UK

• Derivatives and structured products

“Mayer Brown International LLP is regarded as having one of the leading derivatives practices in London, and it has a stellar client roster.”

“The practice is at the cutting edge of the derivatives market and it has an impressive buy-side client base advising hedge funds, asset managers, pension funds, insurance companies and multinationals. The firm's combination of US and English law capability in London enables it to handle cross-border transaction work and advise key market players on changes in US and European regulatory markets, including the Dodd-Frank Act.”

The Legal 500 US

• Structured finance: Derivatives & structured products

• Tax: Financial products

• Financial services regulation

“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.”

Structured Retail Products (SRP) Americas Awards

• Best Law Firm 2026, 2025, 2023, 2022