LONDON, February 4, 2022: Morgan Lewis is further bolstering its global structured transactions capabilities with the addition of partner Merryn Craske, who will be resident in the London office. She will arrive from Mayer Brown and will advise on securitization and structured finance transactions.
“With experience conducting transactions across a number of jurisdictions and asset classes, Merryn’s skillset is a fantastic addition to our market-leading structured transactions practice,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Her broad transactional experience, combined with her in-depth regulatory insight in relation to United Kingdom and EU securitization and risk retention rules, will make Merryn a valuable addition to our team and for our global clients as they navigate their international risk matrixes.”
Merryn advises banks, originators, and other financial institutions on securitization and structured finance transactions in a wide range of asset classes, including trade receivables, dealer floorplan receivables, auto loans and leases, residential and commercial mortgages, consumer loans, and insurance premium loans. Working closely with local counsel, she assists clients with structuring and documenting multijurisdictional securitizations primarily involving the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Canada, and Asia. She also worked at one of the big three rating agencies and had secondments to the securitization teams of two leading banks.
“Collaborating with colleagues in London and around the world, Merryn’s arrival in a key financial hub will build on our ability to counsel multinational clients on their most complex, cross-border matters,” said Reed Auerbach, who leads Morgan Lewis’s structured transactions practice. “Her wide-ranging practice is a great fit with our full-service platform.”
As well as her extensive experience in securitization and structured finance, Merryn has handled other banking and finance transactions, including secured lending, derivatives, debt capital markets, project finance and acquisition finance. Her arrival follows the recent hires of Steven Becker and Alex Velinsky in Morgan Lewis’s structured transactions practice in New York and Washington, DC, respectively, in addition to Seyfi Can Kandemir, who works with international financial institutions and commercial banks in project and international finance matters.
“Merryn’s broad-based financial institutions practice works well with the diversity of our structured transactions practice and the close collaboration with our other services,” said Frances Murphy, managing partner of the London office. “Her arrival will further deepen the bench strength of our European and global financial institutions offering.”