Berend Crans has a broad finance practice. In addition to general banking and finance transactions, he specialises in asset and project finance. Throughout his career at De Brauw, he has represented lessees, lenders and equity investors in numerous cross-border lease transactions. He has played a pioneering role in designing new transaction structures and restructuring existing structures to accommodate new asset classes. He also advises clients in structured finance transactions and debt restructurings.
Berend has particular expertise in aviation law and aircraft finance and has been involved, mainly as lender counsel, in many aircraft finance transactions, including JLLs, GLLs, ECA supported transactions, acquisitions of aircraft lease portfolios and securitisations. Berend has represented lessors and lenders in airline insolvencies.
Recent work includes advising:
- Export-Import Bank of the United States in a number of ECA supported aircraft finance transactions
- VION in a EUR 300 million trade receivables securitisation
- Dutch grid manager TenneT in its acquisition financing regarding German grid manager Transpower.
Other work includes representing:
- Rabobank in connection with letter of credit facilities provided to Austrian municipalities in the context of the restructuring of US cross border lease transactions
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York in connection with the restructuring of ILFC
- a Japanese financial institution in connection with Japanese Operating Lease transactions involving Boeing 737 aircraft leased to a Dutch airline.
Legal 500 describes him as ‘one of the leading aviation finance lawyers in the Netherlands’. In 2011 Chambers said that they saw Berend Crans as someone who 'knows exactly what he is talking about and is always able to find the right solution'. They also added that 'he commands huge respect in the local industry, has excellent expertise and is very commericially orientated.'
