Laser Brings More Than 40 Years of In-House and Law Firm Experience Representing Financial Institutions and Corporate Clients
Adams and Reese is pleased to announce that Joel Laser has joined the AmLaw200 firm as Special Counsel in the Financial Services Practice Group. Laser will reside in the firm's Houston office.
Laser has more than 40 years of broad in-house and law firm experience representing financial institutions and corporate clients in connection with the structuring, negotiation, documentation, administration, workout and restructuring of domestic and cross-border financial transactions.
Laser is former Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo Bank in Houston, serving as senior company counsel in the Commercial Workout Section of the Law Department. He was Associate General Counsel at Financial Security Assurance in London, working for the European Structured Finance Group of one of the leading AAA-rated financial guaranty insurance companies.
Laser began his career in the Finance/Corporate Group at one of the then oldest and largest law firms in Houston – Butler & Binion. As a Partner at McGuire Woods, he then helped launch the global law firm’s New York office. Laser is licensed to practice in both Texas and New York.
“Throughout his distinguished career of 40-plus years in financial services, both in-house and within law firms, Joel has been an invaluable legal resource to all matters relating to corporate and finance,” said Louis Ursini, Adams and Reese Partner and Financial Services Practice Group Leader. “We are honored to welcome Joel to Adams and Reese. His wealth of experience and knowledge will further strengthen our partnerships with business clients in a wide range of financial services needs and litigation strategies.”
Within the financial services arena, Laser has experience in secured and unsecured loan transactions, syndication and participation agreements, intercreditor and subordination agreements, private placements, letters of credit, leveraged loans, acquisition finance, mezzanine loans with equity kickers, project finance, securitizations and other structured finance transactions, credit default swaps and other derivative transactions, tax-exempt bonds, and workout and restructuring agreements both in and out of bankruptcy proceedings.
Laser received his J.D. in 1981 from Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school, he served as a Law Clerk to The Hon. Carolyn Dineen Randall of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A Corpus Christi native, Laser earned his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Rice University in 1978.