Seward & Kissel added Susanne Burstein to its maritime and transportation group as head of transportation finance.
Over her two decades of legal practice, Burstein has focused on finance transactions across transportation sectors with a particular focus on shipping and aviation. She represents domestic and international financial institutions, funds, borrowers, lessors and operators on cross-border asset-backed loans, restructurings, leasing transactions, export-credit backed financings, structured products and asset acquisitions. She is ranked by legal directory Legal 500 for her ship finance experience.
“Susanne’s addition reaffirms Seward & Kissel’s status as the destination for premier talent in shipping and transportation finance,” James Cofer, managing partner of Seward & Kissel, said. “Her highly respected practice—which stretches from domestic to multi-jurisdictional transactions and from acquisitions to leases—complements the highly-regarded work of our Firm extremely well.”
Burstein comes to Seward & Kissel from the New York office of the London-headquartered, global firm of Watson Farley & Williams (WFW), where she was a partner in the assets and structured finance group. During her career at WFW, Burstein advised on financings involving a variety of assets in the transportation space including vessels, aircraft, engines, unmanned electric aircraft, containers, buses and intermodal equipment. Burstein has also represented clients in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
“I am eager to build on the rich history of maritime and transportation finance work that Seward & Kissel is well known for,” Burstein said. “It’s an honor to join a team that has shaped so many of the maritime industry’s landmark transactions.”
“Susanne’s arrival not only reinforces the Firm’s leadership in the maritime industry but also unlocks powerful new opportunities to serve our clients’ specialized transportation finance needs,” Keith Billotti, co-head of the firm’s maritime and transportation capital markets practice, said. “Her deep experience advising on financings across a broad spectrum of transportation assets brings invaluable perspective.”
Burstein received her J.D. from the Tulane University School of Law, with a Certificate of Specialization in Admiralty and Maritime law. She received her B.A. from Tufts University.
