Joel R. Thielen

Joel Thielen helps commercial banks, alternative lenders, operating lessors, finance companies, private equity funds, hedge funds and other investors to structure, negotiate and execute transactions related to the financing, leasing, sale and purchase of commercial transportation assets in the aviation, rail and maritime industries.

Mindful of his client’s financial goals and employing a big picture outlook, Joel is distinguished by his comprehensive knowledge across multiple asset classes. He counsels investors in a variety of transaction structures such as securitizations, warehouse loan facilities, term loan facilities and other structured financings, cross-border operating leases, leveraged leases and portfolio acquisitions and divestitures.

In the dynamic and ever-evolving aviation, rail and maritime industries, Joel represents investors in structuring and establishing strategic joint ventures and new leasing and lending platforms for industry assets. He also provides practical and business-driven advice on various day-to-day matters such as corporate structuring, servicing and management agreements and general corporate and securities law issues.

Experience

• Led an aviation company through the establishment of an alternative lending platform and a warehouse facility to support its lending activities across the aviation spectrum.
• Guided an infrastructure fund in its acquisition of a large railcar lessor, involving over 50,000 railcars. This is one of the largest railcar leasing platform transactions in North America to date.
• Represented a maritime lessor in a warehouse facility financing backed by three wholly owned business lines and including Jones Act tankers, U.S.-flagged tankers and other vessels engaged in U.S. coastal and international trade. Deal was named 2024 Securitization Deal of the Year by Marine Money.
• Facilitated a railcar asset-backed securitization on behalf of a railcar manufacturer and lessor and restructured a warehouse loan facility backed by railcars and lease assets.
• Represented a regional bank, as lender, in multiple loan facilities with an aircraft lessor backed by multiple aircraft on lease to multiple lessees in various jurisdictions.