Seidia Roach Bernard has a wide range of experience in corporate and finance transactional matters, with particular emphasis on aviation and equipment finance and various asset-based commercial bank syndicated financings.  She has represented creditors, trustees, lessors, operators, underwriters and investors in connection with asset-backed financings, acquisitions and dispositions, leveraged and operating leases, portfolio securitizations, lease and debt restructurings, insolvency proceedings, joint ventures and equity investments.

More recently, Mrs. Bernard has advised on monetizations of telecommunications site leases, commercial real estate sales, acquisitions and leasing and private equity investments and commercial litigation. 

While associated with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Mrs. Bernard&rsquos commercial, corporate and finance practice consisted of representing both U.S. and internationally-based borrowers, commercial banks and other financial institutions in connection with domestic and cross-border financing transactions, including asset-backed financings, securitizations (involving accounts receivable, inventory and other assets), major bank syndications, acquisition financings, equipment leasing and aircraft finance transactions, export credit agency supported financings, commercial paper facilities and debt restructurings and work-out activities.  She also represented issuers, investors and initial purchasers/underwriters in securities offerings (144A, true private and registered transactions) also in structured financing transactions.

Some significant transactions included:

• Representing the placement agent and special purpose issuer in a $300 million aircraft engine portfolio securitization covering 50 aifcraft engines.
• Representing the purchaser/originators in a $100 million trade receivables securitization.
• Representing the borrowers in a $120 million senior secured and subordinated acquisition financing of a water treatment facility in Ohio.
• Representing agent/banks in connection with a $350 million syndicated loan transaction involving U.S., Canadian, European and Latin American borrowers.
• Representing agent/banks in connection with a $500 million syndicated loan transaction involving a major regional utility company in Virginia.
• Representing air carriers and financial institutions in connection with United States Export-Import Bank supported aircraft acquisition financings.
• Representing commercial paper conduit in connection with several aircraft acquisition financings involving U.S. and European air carriers.
• Representing agent/banks in connection with a $350+ million syndicated loan transaction and note offering to Caribbean subsidiaries of a major wireless telecommunications company to finance their wireless operations in several Caribbean countries.
• Representing Japanese lessors/owner participants in several aircraft purchases and sales, aircraft lease financings, including the lease-financing of several Embraer EMB-145 aircraft for Chautauqua Airlines, Inc.
• Representing Japanese lenders and Japanese leveraged lease lessors in connection with Northwest Airlines Inc.s&rsquo Chapter 11 proceedings.
• Representing borrower and purchaser in several US leveraged lease transactions involving McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and Boeing 767 aircraft.
• Representing trustee in connection with series of multi-million dollar mortgage portfolio loan securitizations.
• Representing security trustees and agent banks in connection with the remarketing of several repossessed aircraft representing owner participants/lessors in restructuring lease and debt in bankruptcy restructuring of two leading US airline carriers.

Education

J.D., Northwestern University School of Law, 2001
Senior Editor, The Journal of International Law & Business

B.A. with Special Honors, summa cum laude, Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York, 1997

Admissions

Bar:

State of New York, State of New Jersey

Courts:

U.S. Supreme Court Southern District of New York and U.S. District Court of New Jersey

Affiliations

Member of the:

• American Bar Association
• Banking Law Committee, Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• Business Law Committee, New York State Bar Association
• Nassau County Bar Association 
• Atlantic Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Attorney Association, Executive Secretary, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 terms.