Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
222 North LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois 60601
- gkass@vedderprice.com
- VCard
Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
Geoffrey R. Kass is the Chair of the Global Transportation Finance team at Vedder Price.
He counsels and represents clients in corporate and securities matters with particular emphasis on structured financings. He has represented manufacturers, borrowers, lessees, lessors, equity participants, credit enhancers and lenders in various financing structures, including portfolio and company acquisitions and divestitures, secured loans, U.S. and cross-border leveraged leases, operating leases, municipal and cross-border structured financings, public and private securities offerings and debt restructurings.
He has extensive experience in the financing of commercial and private aircraft, railcar, bus, telecommunications, miscellaneous equipment and various facility (including manufacturing, electricity and gas distribution, and water treatment) financings.
In 2010, Mr. Kass advised Macquarie Group Ltd. in a $2 billion aircraft acquisition from American International Group. In 2015, he advised Macquarie in the acquisition of a $4 billion aircraft portfolio from AWAS and Terra Firma, which, with the associated $3 billion of loan financing, was named 2015 "Overall Deal of the Year" by Airfinance Journal. He also acted as lead counsel for Castlelake LP in the private securitization of a portfolio of 79 aircraft leased to 26 different lessees located in 17 countries, recognized as the 2014 “Aviation Overall Deal of the Year” by Airline Economics.
Mr. Kass was recognized among the world’s leading aviation attorneys by Euromoney Legal Media Group Aviation Expert Guides from 2000 – 2020 and in 2020 he was recognized in “The Best of the Best USA” Aviation Expert Guide. He is featured in the 2010–2016 and 2019 editions of The International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers, where he is recognized as one of the leading structured finance lawyers in the United States. From 2012 to 2021, Chambers USA has ranked Mr. Kass in the Nationwide Transportation: Aviation: Finance category and from 2020-2022 he was ranked in Chambers Global Asset: Finance category. From 2013 to 2015 and 2017 to 2021, he has been selected by his peers as a "Leading Lawyer" in Aviation, International Business & Trade and Secured Transactions. Mr. Kass has been recognized by the Legal 500 United States as a Leading Lawyer in Transport: Aviation and Air Travel–Finance since 2013 and included in the Hall of Fame for this category since 2018. Mr. Kass was also recommended for the categories of Transport: Rail and Road—Finance and Transport: Shipping–Finance in 2018.
Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
Education
- Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., 1989
- Williams College, B.A., 1986, cum laude
Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
Bar Admissions
- Illinois, 1989
- New York, 2009
Affiliations
- Member, International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT)
Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
-
Publications
-
December 2015 | Newsletter/Bulletin
-
November 2012 | Newsletter/Bulletin
-
August 2010 | Newsletter/Bulletin
-
November 2009 | Newsletter/Bulletin
-
Geoffrey R. Kass
Shareholder
Member, Board of DirectorsChair, Global Transportation Finance Team
-
News
-
February 18, 2022 | Press Release
-
June 30, 2021 | Press Release
-
June 17, 2021 | Press Release
-
May 21, 2021 | Press Release
-
March 5, 2021 | Press Release
-
February 22, 2021 | Press Release
-
October 6, 2020 | Press Release
-
August 5, 2020 | Press Release
-
June 12, 2020 | Press Release
-
April 23, 2020 | Press Release
-
February 14, 2020 | Press Release
-
February 6, 2020 | Press Release
-
October 30, 2019 | Press Release
-
August 15, 2019 | Press Release
-
August 9, 2019 | Press Release
-
April 30, 2019 | Press Release
-
February 26, 2019 | Press Release
-
June 28, 2018 | Press Release
-
June 28, 2018 | Press Release
-
-
Past Events
-
March 19-20, 2019 | Seminar
-
March 19-21, 2018 | Seminar
-
March 20, 2017 | Special Event
-
November 3-5, 2014 | Seminar
-
January 22–23, 2014 | Seminar
-