CO-CHAIR, BLANK ROME BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY & DIGITAL CURRENCIES GROUP
Grant Buerstetta is a securities lawyer who represents financial institutions, asset managers, issuers, and investment funds focused on debt and structured securities and serves clients in areas such as:
- Complex structured and asset-backed securities and securitization transactions
- Alternative investment fund formation and operation
- Securities issuances in domestic and international capital markets
- Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies
Grant has significant experience in analyzing and structuring, revising and unwinding asset-backed securities, including private offerings and SEC-registered transactions. He has represented collateral managers, originators, rating agencies, hedge counterparties and major financial institutions in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other securitization transactions. His experience includes numerous transactions backed by portfolios of financial instruments and real estate-related assets, such as CDOs backed by commercial and residential mortgage-backed securities, mortgage loans and other commercial real estate assets.
He has extensive experience negotiating and documenting interest rate swaps and credit default swaps (including pay-as-go swaps and super senior swaps) on behalf of special purpose vehicles/issuers and financial institutions in structured finance transactions.
He has been involved in the analysis, assessment, restructuring and liquidation of numerous distressed transactions. In that context, he has advised parties on the interpretation of their rights under transaction documents and on the innovative restructuring of transactions.
Grant has formed and advises numerous alternative investment funds. These clients have adapted hedge fund and private equity fund elements into hybrid structures to accomplish their investment objectives. These funds benefit from Grant’s experience with and knowledge of various structured credit products and securities law exemptions. In addition, based on his background in structured capital markets, Grant advises these funds in crafting sophisticated provisions relating to investor rights and cashflow allocations. These representations draw on his broader corporate and securities skills as well as in-depth knowledge of complex transaction structuring. Grant advises clients involved in a range of industries, including clients focused on the digital currency and blockchain technology space.
Grant has a broad background in domestic and international securities offerings, having worked for more than three years in the Hong Kong office of a major international law firm, where he represented issuers, underwriters and other clients throughout Asia in international securities transactions. His current securities law practice emphasizes private placements and Investment Company Act exemptions. He also has significant public accounting experience.
Grant has been recognized by Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a leading capital markets securitization lawyer. Chambers USA notes that he “receives widespread praise from his clients and is described as ‘creative and practical,’ with one remarking that he offers ‘a great mix of razor-sharp business sense and zealous representation.’”
Grant co-authored The CLO Manager’s Handbook.
Grant is a member of the Structured Finance Committee of the New York City Bar Association and a member of the Board of the Lehigh Lawyers Association.
While attending law school, Grant was editor-in-chief of Boston University School of Law’s Annual Review of Banking Law.