Corporate Trust and Agency Services

Whether serving as trustee, administrative agent, collateral agent, escrow agent or in another role, your institution needs counsel who understands more than the transaction documents. You need legal advisors who appreciate the practical and operational realities that arise before and during closing and over the life of a transaction through potential amendments and additional offerings, defaults, debtor-in-possession (DIP) financings, restructurings and insolvency issues.

Holland & Knight's Corporate Trust and Agency Services Team represents financial institutions and service providers in all aspects of these roles, helping clients protect their interests and efficiently navigate transaction demands with practical, business-minded judgment. Our work is grounded in a thorough understanding of agent and trustee responsibilities, including the need to balance contractual limitations, operational considerations and transaction momentum.

Our attorneys bring decades of dedicated experience in corporate trust and agency matters, including helping shape benchmark credit agreement and trust indenture language used throughout the market. We help clients evaluate complex documentation and anticipate potential issues while confidently advising on matters of risk.

When broader issues arise, we collaborate across Holland & Knight's Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors' Rights, Financial Services, Latin America and Project Finance practices, providing clients access to the coordinated resources of a global law firm with deep experience in complex financial transactions. Our team also advises clients on the acquisition and sale of corporate trust businesses, an increasingly important capability as consolidation continues to reshape the institutional agency and trustee landscape.

We also regularly share our experience through tailored seminars on corporate trust and loan agency matters, including considerations in cross-border transactions. These sessions give in-house legal, risk and operations teams practical guidance they can apply to the transactions they administer.

Managing Risk Throughout the Transaction Life Cycle

Corporate trust and agency matters rarely end at closing. We partner with agents and trustees from origination through amendments, defaults and workouts, restructurings and insolvency proceedings, providing continuity across the full transaction life cycle.

That continuity helps preserve institutional knowledge, identify downstream issues and support informed decision-making at each stage of a transaction. Whether counseling an administrative or collateral agent, trustee, or collateral or document custodian escrow agent or depositary, we understand the responsibilities, limitations and risk considerations that come with each role.

When needed, our team works closely with Holland & Knight's Bankruptcy, Restructuring and Creditors' Rights attorneys, leveraging our familiarity with the underlying transaction to help institutions address defaults, enforcement actions, restructurings, DIP financings, insolvency proceedings and related creditor issues with informed context and coordinated strategy.

Practical Judgment Keeps Transactions Moving

Clients count on corporate trust and agency counsel to facilitate transactions without exposing them to unnecessary risk. Our lawyers proactively identify issues that require attention or escalation early so they can be addressed before they delay closing or create complications.

We focus on the provisions and risk points that matter most to trustees, agents and institutional service providers, drawing on deep familiarity with credit and intercreditor agreements, security and collateral documents, trust indentures and other standard documentation. Our work extends beyond documents to investing the time needed to thoroughly understand each client's business, internal processes and risk tolerances, as well as the regulatory landscape. Doing so enables us to tailor our advice not only to the transaction documents but also to the practical realities of implementing and administering each transaction over time. Recognizing that these documents continue to govern the parties' rights and obligations after closing, we help clients identify issues that may affect agents and trustees throughout the life of a transaction.

Our team is structured to support clients across substantial volumes of institutional trust and agency transactions, advising on documentation and ongoing, time-sensitive administrative needs. Clients view us as trusted extensions of their in-house legal and risk teams, with the judgment and responsiveness needed to handle demanding requests, identify issues for escalation and make informed decisions when timing is critical.

Cross-Border Experience Supports Complex Global Transactions

Holland & Knight brings meaningful experience to institutions involved in complex cross-border agency and trustee matters, particularly across Latin America and global capital markets. Our lawyers have represented agents and trustees in significant transactions across Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Chile, Argentina and other key markets.

Through our Latin America, project finance and broader financial services capabilities, we support sophisticated financing structures involving infrastructure, energy, transportation and other major assets. Our bilingual and bicultural capabilities, regional knowledge, and understanding of U.S. and international financing structures help you navigate the legal and commercial complexities of cross-border transactions.

Our work includes high-stakes financings, restructurings and capital markets transactions, including matters recognized by leading industry publications.

Approach Your Next Matter with Confidence

Holland & Knight's Corporate Trust and Agency Services Team provides the guidance, transaction familiarity and judgment institutions need to navigate financing transactions, successor agency matters, amendments, defaults, workouts, restructurings, DIP financings, insolvency issues and corporate trust business acquisitions with confidence.

For guidance on corporate trust matters, please contact Adam Jachimowski or Peter Baumgaertner. For agency services matters, please contact Joshua Spencer, Anastasia Sotiropoulos or Daniel Brown.