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Financing Instruments

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SEDA Experts

Financing

Instruments.

Industry-leading insights and deep knowledge of complex financial structures — comprehensive support for litigation and dispute resolution across major financial institutions, investment banks, and regulatory bodies.

PRACTICE AREA  · EXPERT WITNESS & CONSULTING

Related Experts

About this practice

PRACTICE OVERVIEW

By leveraging industry-leading insights and deep knowledge of complex financial structures, our experts provide comprehensive support for litigation and dispute resolution across financing instruments.

With deep experience across major financial institutions, investment banks, and regulatory bodies, SEDA Experts delivers rigorous analysis and insights to support litigation, dispute resolution, and advisory needs in finance.

Our practitioners bring direct experience structuring, negotiating, and documenting a wide range of financing arrangements — from syndicated loans and leveraged buyout financing to project finance, prime finance, public finance, trade finance, and complex structured credit facilities.

SEDA provides both expert witness testimony and consulting services in securities and derivatives matters. As expert witnesses, our practitioners address swap mis-selling, structured note documentation failures, best execution disputes, and trading conduct violations before the SEC, CFTC, and FCA. As consultants, we advise financial institutions and their counsel on derivatives documentation review, valuation disputes, trading governance frameworks, and the standard of care applicable to dealers in complex OTC and exchange-traded instrument transactions — bringing front-office credibility to both the litigation and advisory dimensions of securities and derivatives matters.

WHY SEDA

Deep experience across loans, credit facilities, leveraged finance, project finance, trade finance, and complex structured financing instruments at leading global institutions.

Former senior bankers and lawyers from major financial institutions — direct transactional experience structuring, negotiating, and documenting financing arrangements.

Expert testimony on lender liability, covenant interpretation, credit agreement disputes, and the obligations of parties in complex financing transactions.

SUB-PRACTICE  AREAS

Areas of expertise

01

Syndicated Loans & Leveraged Finance

Related: Capital Markets · M&A

02

Prime Finance

Related: Risk Management · Asset Management

Syndicated loan agreements, leveraged buyout financing, covenant interpretation, lender liability, and the obligations of arrangers, agents, and lenders.

Underwriting, regulatory issues, industry best practices, understanding the roles and responsibilities of key market participants in the origination process, tax considerations, as well as the issuance and trading of municipal bonds

03

Public Finance & Municipal Bonds

Related: Securities & Derivatives

Securities lending, margin lending, collateral management, custody, clearing and settlement, prime brokerage, risk management.

04

Trade Finance

Related: Asset Servicing · International Tax

Expert opinions on letters of credit, documentary collections, trade credit insurance, supply chain finance, and disputes arising from trade finance instruments and documentation.

Related Experts
Richard A. Marin

Richard A. Marin

Bio

Managing Director

Richard Marin is a seasoned finance executive with more than 47 years of industry experience, and a distinguished career spanning asset management, alternative investments, high-net-worth banking, private equity, securities lending, pensions, and real estate finance.

Former 

Bear Stearns Asset Management - Chairman and CEO  

Deutsche Asset Management - Chairman and CEO  

Peter U. Vinella, Ph.D.

Peter U. Vinella, Ph.D.

Bio

Managing Director, Advisor to the Board

Peter U. Vinella has more than 35 years of experience in the financial industry as a consultant and as an executive with leading financial institutions and government agencies. Mr. Vinella has extensive testifying experience acting as an expert for both plaintiff and defendant over more than 40 engagements.

Former 

Berkeley Research Group - Managing director

Wilmington Trust Conduit Services, LLC - President and CEO

Lisa Robins

Lisa Robins

Bio

Managing Director

Lisa Robins is a senior executive and board director with deep expertise in transaction banking and trade finance. Based in Asia in recent years, she has led diverse teams across Hong Kong, China, and Singapore, focusing on technology, digitization, and risk management.

Former

Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) - Head of Global Transaction Banking

Deutsche Bank - Managing Director, Head of Asia Transaction Banking

Sameer Govil

Sameer Govil

Bio

Managing Director

Sameer Govil has over 30 years experience in payment network platforms, emerging electronic commerce solutions and consumer banking across diverse geographies. During his career, Sameer has served on the executive leadership team at Visa and led areas of high strategic and financial importance to the company.

Former

Visa Inc. - SVP, Global Head USA; Country Manager, Dubai; Country Leadership, South Asia

ANZ Banking Group - General Manager, Consumer Finance, Australia

Mark J. Buono

Mark J. Buono

Bio

Managing Director

Mark Buono is a CMBS and CRE industry pioneer and former Goldman Sachs Managing Director with 20 years in commercial real estate. He also served as Managing Director and CRE Portfolio Manager at Global Atlantic Financial Group and specializes in CMBS, CRE CDOs, REITs, portfolio, and risk management.

Former 

Goldman Sachs  - Managing Director, Special Asset Group

Freddie Mac - Vice President, Mortgage Trading

Crispin Osborne

Crispin Osborne

Bio

Managing Director

Crispin Osborne has over 30 years of experience in global investment banking and corporate finance, with senior roles at Barclays, Citigroup, and Credit Suisse First Boston. He brings extensive expertise across Equity Capital Markets, M&A, and Debt Capital Markets, with broad international experience including privatizations and emerging markets.

Former 

Barclays, London - Chairman, Corporate Finance and Equity Capital Markets EMEA

EMPG International - Chief Executive Officer

Citigroup, London - Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets

Credit Suisse, London - Head, Media and Telecommunications Group, Investment Banking 



Blake Mather

Blake Mather

Bio

Managing Director

Blake Mather, as a Partner and former Head of Bank Loan Sales, and Co-Head of High Yield and Distressed Sales at Goldman Sachs, is an expert in capital markets across multiple fixed-income products, including high-yield debt, loans, and distressed assets, as well as valuation and pricing across the capital structure.

Former

Goldman Sachs - Head of Bank Loan Sales 

Goldman Sachs - Co-Head High Yield and Distressed Sales

Ian Mote

Ian Mote

Bio

Managing Director

Ian Mote has over a quarter-century of expertise in international finance and banking, with a focus on Structured Trade and Commodity Finance, treasury management, and trade finance within global markets. Ian spent 20 years working with Standard Chartered Bank, where his career included significant roles in Europe, the Middle East, and Greater China.

Former 

Standard Chartered Bank (China) - Executive Director, Head of Multinational Corporates

Senior Credit Officer, Commodities & Trade Finance

Executive Director, Head of Commodity Traders & Agribusiness

David Sabath

David Sabath

Bio

Managing Director

David Sabath is an expert in bankruptcy and restructuring with over 30 years of experience in distressed investing. His background includes leading and building asset management businesses, analyzing and trading across asset classes, and managing portfolios through major market dislocations.

Former

Pretium Partners - Senior Managing Director and Co-Head, Corporate Opportunistic Investing and Distressed Platform

Latigo Partners - Co-Founder and Co-Portfolio Manager

JPMorgan - Managing Director, Proprietary Positioning Business

Goldman Sachs - Head, Distressed Loan Research


Jonathan (“Jon”) Norton

Jonathan (“Jon”) Norton

Bio

Managing Director

Jonathan (“Jon”) Norton is an experienced banker and investor with over four decades of international financial services expertise spanning corporate banking, structured finance, asset-based lending, project finance, export finance, and alternative investments.

Former

Wells Fargo Capital Finance (UK) Ltd - Director, Structured Finance

Commerzbank AG London Branch - Head of Corporates




Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller

Bio

Managing Director

Arthur Miller has over 43 years of experience in public finance and municipal bonds serving as Managing Director and Co-Head of Public Finance Strategies & Analytics Groups at Goldman Sachs. He covered leading roles at industry organizations including Vice Chair and Member of the Board of Directors at the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.

Former 

Goldman Sachs - Managing Director, Co-Head, Public Finance Strategies & Analytics Groups

Matthew L. Sperling

Matthew L. Sperling

Bio

Managing Director

Matthew L. Sperling is an expert in equity capital markets, investment banking, and corporate finance, with more than two decades of experience advising boards, management teams, and investors on complex equity transactions and capital markets strategy.

Former

IHS Towers Inc. - Vice President, Capital Markets & Investor Relations and Head of U.S. Operations

Rothschild & CO. - Managing Director, Head of North American Equity Advisory

Jefferies & Company - Managing Director, Equity Capital Markets


Randy O’Connor

Randy O’Connor

Bio

Managing Director

Randy O’Connor is an accomplished energy expert with over 20 years of experience originating, structuring, and executing complex commodities transactions across the global oil and gas sector, combining structured finance expertise with deep knowledge of physical oil trading.

Former

Citigroup - Managing Director, Head of Structured Transactions in Oil and E&P

Morgan Stanley - Managing Director, Head of Strategic Transactions Group


Philip A. Olesen

Philip A. Olesen

Bio

Managing Director

Philip Olesen is a global credit sales and trading professional with over 25 years of leadership and expertise in credit trading, risk management, and investment banking. With a distinguished career primarily at UBS Investment Bank, he has been involved in all credit products including bonds, loans, CDS and structured credit products including correlation risk.

Former

UBS Investment Bank - Managing Director, Global Head of Credit Trading

Managing Director, Head of Global Correlation

Managing Director, Global Risk Manager - Credit

Cameron Perrett

Cameron Perrett

Bio

Managing Director

Cameron Perrett is a corporate finance, private credit, and capital markets expert with more than 25 years of experience across banking, advisory, and institutional finance in Australia, Asia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Former

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) - Head of Financial Institutions Coverage for Global Insurers, Pension Funds and Asset Managers / Head of FI Advisory

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - Head of FI Deal Advisory Asia



Debbie Bigman, CPA

Debbie Bigman, CPA

Bio

Managing Director

Debbie Bigman has 36+ years of experience in financial product valuation, enterprise risk management, and financial reporting. She brings deep expertise in credit, pricing, and transaction analysis, helping banks, lenders, insurers, and funds navigate complex market and regulatory challenges.

Former

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP - Partner, Financial Markets Co-Founder

Paul Morgan

Paul Morgan

Bio

Managing Director

Paul Morgan is a seasoned expert in structured products, securities trading, investment management, and capital markets. With over 30 years of experience, he has led and advised FCA-regulated entities, managed proprietary trading portfolios, and built high-performing investment teams.

Former

Morgan Capital Advisors LLP - Founder, CEO

Royal Bank of Scotland - Proprietary Trader

Morgan Stanley International - Executive Director


T. S. Shankar

T. S. Shankar

Bio

Managing Director

Shankar is a highly experienced global payments professional with over two decades in Correspondent Banking covering Cross Border Payments and Trade Finance. His career included stints at Bank of America and Standard Chartered Bank, where he was the Global Product head for Financial Institutions – Payments.

Former

Standard Chartered Bank - Managing Director, Global Head-Payments and Liquidity, Product Management

Bank of America (Singapore) - Senior Vice President - Southern Asia, Trade Finance and Payments 

R. Bram Smith

R. Bram Smith

Bio

Managing Director

Bram Smith is a world-class expert in loan syndications, sales and trading, and capital markets, with over 40 years of experience in the US corporate loan market, including leadership roles at the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, Bear Stearns, Morgan Stanley, and Bankers Trust.

Former

LSTA - Executive Director

Bear Stearns - Senior Managing Director

Kurtis S. Plumer

Kurtis S. Plumer

Bio

Managing Director

Kurtis S. Plumer is a seasoned leveraged finance executive with over 30 years of experience in bankruptcy, restructuring and workouts. He has a deep expertise in managing investments across various asset classes, including leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, distressed debt and structured products.

Former 

WhiteStar Asset Management – Managing Director Head of Restructuring and Workout

Highland Capital Management – Partner Portfolio Manager

James O'Connor

James O'Connor

Bio

Senior Advisor

Mr. O’Connor has over 30 years of experience in global financial markets, with unique expertise in prime brokerage, inventory management, securities lending, repo, asset-based financing, and liquidity and counterparty risk management. His career spans senior leadership roles at major investment banks and asset managers across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Former

Aperture Investors LLC - President, Chief Operating Officer

Och-Ziff Capital Management - Head of Business Management, Head of Portfolio Finance

Goldman Sachs - Managing Director

Peter Selman

Peter Selman

Bio

Managing Partner

Peter Selman has over 25 years of experience in the finance industry spanning global equities and derivatives, as the former Head of Global Equities at Deutsche Bank, and the Co-head of Global Equity Trading at Goldman Sachs.

Former

Deutsche Bank  - Global Head of Equity 

Goldman Sachs - Co-Head of Global Equity Trading 

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