Overview
Ellen Hayes is the Professional Responsibility and Conflicts Counsel in the firm’s Office of the General Counsel and is based in the firm’s New York office.
She advises the firm on a broad range of legal and risk management issues, including conflicts. Prior to assuming her current role, Ellen was a structured finance partner in the New York office of a major International law firm. She has over 25 years of diverse experience leading multi-jurisdictional teams in complex finance transactions. Earlier in her career, Ellen was Principal Counsel at International Finance Corporation, a World Bank Group member, where she advised on infrastructure and energy projects in emerging markets. Ellen has been recognized in The Legal 500 and the International Financial Law Review as a leading structured finance lawyer.
She is a past member of the New York City Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility and is a frequent speaker on professional responsibility topics.
Accolades
- Finance – Structured Finance, Legal 500
- Capital Markets – Structured Finance and Securitization (Mentioned as a Leading Lawyer 2010), IFLR 1000
Education
- The University of Sydney, L.L.M., 1992
- Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, J.D., 1985
Representations
- Advising Goldman Sachs in relation to its role in the restructuring of the $5 billion structured investment vehicle Whistlejacket Capital Ltd. (in receivership).
- Advising various investment banks acting as arranger and placement agent in connection with cash, synthetic and hybrid CDO and CLO transactions.
- Advising International Finance Corporation and Inter-American Development Bank in their loans to a $600 million concession-based toll road project in Brazil.
- Advising Pakistan International Airlines on a U.S. Ex-Im Bank guaranteed lease facility for the financing of several Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft (GRT best deal of 2003).
- Advising Barclays Bank plc on the U.S. law aspects of it GBP2.3bn acquisition of the credit card assets and liabilities of Egg Banking plc (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Citigroup Inc.).
Engagement & Publications
- "Professional Responsibility in the Wake of a Pandemic," The New York City Bar Webcast, Speaker (February 24, 2021)
- "Ethics and Conflict of Interest in Law Practice," PLI, Chair (2020-21)
- "Brexit and Developments in Europe," Aon Law Firm Symposium, Speaker (October 16-18, 2019)
- "Acquiring or Selling the Privately Held Company: Ethics in Negotiating and Documenting Private Transactions," PLI, Speaker (2019-21)
- "Allocation of Responsibilities in Cross-Border Opinions," 2019 Working Group on Legal Opinions, Spring Legal Opinion Seminar, Co-chair (May 7, 2019)
- "Crisscrossing the Pond: Transatlantic Issues in Legal Ethics and Law Firm Regulation on Unravelling the Complexities of Cross-Border Conflicts of Interest," The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers and the Law Society of England and Wales, Speaker (November 9, 2019)
- "Procedural Issues Related to Opinion Practice," 2018 Working Group on Legal Opinions Fall Legal Opinion Seminar, Co-chair (October 30, 2018)
- "Around the World in 60 Minutes," Aon Law Firm Symposium, Speaker (October 14-15, 2014)
- "Ethics and Conflict of Interest in Law Practice," PLI Ethics in Context, Speaker (Summer 2014-19)
- "Obligations of Opinion Givers and Receivers to Gate Keep Against Money Laundering," 2013 Working Group on Legal Opinions Fall Legal Opinion Seminar, Speaker (October 28, 2013)
- "The Evolving Practice of Law: Foreign Lawyers, Domestic Relations,"Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (April), Speaker (March 28, 2014)
- "Global Practice Concerns," Aon Law Firm Symposium, Speaker (October 17-18, 2013)
Involvement
- Past member – New York City Bar Committee on Professional Responsibility
- Past instructor – Ontario Bar Admission Course