Joel E Haas

JOEL HAAS represents investment funds, asset managers, public and private companies, banks, and sponsors in a variety of complex financial transactions. His practice focuses on addressing the intricate legal challenges associated with warehouse and mezzanine facilities, 144A securitizations, forward flow purchases, static sales, and other structured financings. Joel’s experience lies in navigating the multifaceted regulatory landscape and providing strategic legal solutions to his clients’ most pressing financial issues.

Joel stands out in the legal field due to his comprehensive understanding of business objectives, market standards, and legal aspects of asset-backed finance. His clients benefit from his ability to craft innovative solutions tailored to their unique needs, ensuring compliance and optimizing financial outcomes. Joel has guided sponsor clients in different stages of their business life cycles, ranging from pilot 144A securitizations to mature structured finance programs, and even complex restructurings of distressed or bankrupt securitization sponsors. Joel has also assisted investment fund and asset manager clients with early capital deployment for new investment strategies, financings across various asset classes, and sponsor due diligence. These experiences allow him to offer a holistic approach to his clients, addressing a wide range of legal and financial challenges with precision and proficiency.

Joel graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where he completed a Corporate and Commercial Law Graduate Certificate. He received his B.A., magna cum laude and with honors and distinction, in history, from Occidental College. More recently, Joel was embedded within Oaktree Capital Management’s Asset-Backed Finance strategy as a secondee, where he provided transaction-level legal support, strategized with the investment team on portfolio-level considerations and liaised with external counsel.

Joel’s representative matters include:

• Americor in closing of its inaugural US$153 million debt-settlement fee securitization.
• Conn’s Inc., an iconic American furniture and appliance retailer with over US$1.1 billion of total funded debt listed in the filing, in its Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, including with respect to the sale of both its back-book and its securitized consumer loan portfolios.
• Ares Management Alternative Credit in connection with its joint venture with Certified Automotive Lease Corp (CAL) and concurrent warehouse financing to purchase up to US$1.5 billion of new vehicle leases originated by CAL.
• Originators of debt consolidation loans in 144A term securitizations.
• Borrower and lender clients in warehouse financings involving various assets classes, including retail installment sales contracts, auto leases, credit cards, and consumer medical loans.
• Investment fund clients in forward flow purchases of equipment and home improvement loans.
• Owner-operators of single-family rental homes in connection with 144A term securitizations and warehouse facility restructurings.
• Issuer in transatlantic securitization of trade receivables.
• Lender in secured asset-based term facilities to cryptocurrency-based fintech borrowers.
• Contributed to drafting official notes to Article 12 of the Uniform Commercial Code.