Leighton Stradtman works with domestic and international clients in the areas of financial institutions, banking and finance law. Whether helping large financial services companies with their unique needs or assisting emerging FinTech clients through negotiating contracts, facilitating strategic transactions and resolving disputes, Leighton has seen pretty much all of it in his more than thirty years of practicing law.
He counsels clients on complex financing transactions, having represented lenders, borrowers, issuers, underwriters and investors in a wide variety of areas across many industry sectors, including secured and unsecured credit facilities, syndicated and single-lender loans, real estate and asset-based lending, letters of credit, public finance and economic development incentives, structured finance and private placements. Representing lenders in commercial loan workouts and restructurings is a significant part of his practice. He has managed the resolution of hundreds of millions of dollars of troubled commercial loans secured by various collateral across the US and in many other countries.
Leighton advises his clients on fundamental business operating issues, like compliance and corporate matters, in addition to the more sensitive occurrences of fraud and internal investigations.
Civic and Professional Activities
- State Bar of Georgia
- American Bar Association, Member, Banking Law Committee and Commercial Finance Committee, Business Law Section
- Associate Member, Georgia Bankers Association
- Volunteer and former Advancement Coordinator, Boy Scouts of America Troop 298
- Former Member of Vestry and Senior Warden, All Saints' Episcopal Church
- Current Member, Board of Visitors, and former Member, Board of Trustees, Kanuga Conferences, Inc.
- Former Member, Board of Directors, Atlanta Children's Shelter, Inc.
- Former Class Agent, Washington and Lee University
Honors and Awards
- Named the Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" in Banking & Finance Law - Atlanta (2023)
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Banking & Finance Law (2017 - Present) and Real Estate Law (2018 - Present)
- Super Lawyers Honoree, Georgia Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) (2014 - 2020)
- Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer, Banking and Finance, Georgia (2016)
Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Represented a leading industrial distributor in connection with a $1.4 billion syndicated term loan, $1.25 billion secured notes financing and $675 million secured notes financing.
- Represented a manufacturing business in a $58 million cross-border secured revolving and term loan acquisition financing.
- Represented a public real estate developer in a $600 million syndicated secured revolving credit facility.
- Represented a manufacturing company in a $50 million cross-border secured credit facility.
- Represented a global transportation and logistics company in a $55 million syndicated secured credit facility.
- Represented a bank in a $12 million bond financing for government economic development and infrastructure projects.
- Represented one of the world's largest lumber producers as investor in economic development incentive transactions totaling more than $200 million.
- Represented a lender in the restructuring of a $23 million cross-border debt financing secured by intellectual property for a media business.
