People

Overview

If an explanation of complex financial products and transactions has ever left you feeling more confused than you were before, contact Evan Koster, the Head of our Derivatives Practice and a member of Capital Markets and Securities Practice.

Evan demystifies the products and their legal Implications – in both English and Spanish – and represents clients in a broad spectrum of derivatives, commodities, and structured products in the United States and emerging markets.

Evan's experience is both broad – including all asset classes, such as commodities, fixed income, foreign exchange, and equities – and narrow, including energy derivatives (e.g., natural gas, oil, power) and energy trading. In addition to his transactional work, he counsels clients regarding Dodd- Frank and Commodities Exchange derivatives regulatory and compliance issues.

Not content with having just one area of focus, Evan also focuses on sovereign finance (new issuances and restructurings) and in addition represents financial institutions, and corporate borrowers in emerging market debt capital markets (Rule 144A and Regulation S offerings), especially sovereign and energy- related transactions, in both primary offerings and liability management exercises. He has represented clients in recent leading sovereign debt restructurings, including in the Ghana and Sri Lanka sovereign debt restructurings in 2024 and the Ecuador restructuring in 2020.

He has extensive experience in finance and capital market matters in Latin America and is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

Evan Koster has co-authored insightful analyses on sovereign debt restructuring, focusing on challenges and strategies in distressed economies. His work includes Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Africa (International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals, December 2023) and Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Times of Stress: Lessons from Ecuador and Argentina (Global Restructuring Review, September 2020). Through these publications, he provides valuable perspectives on sovereign debt resolution frameworks and sovereign financial recovery in emerging markets.

Admissions & Affiliations

  • New York State Bar
  • District of Columbia Bar
  • J.D., George Washington University Law School 1990
    high honors
    Order of the Coif
  • Master of International Studies, Latin American Affairs, University of Miami 1987
  • B.A., Economics, Brandeis University 1985

Experience

Derivatives & Commodities Transactional

  • Energy companies in hedging and project finance transactions, including heat rate call options, revenue puts and synthetic PPAs in renewable projects
  • Dealer banks in negotiation of ISDA Agreements and pari passu review of Credit Documents and Security Documents, with respect to foreign exchange, fixed income and energy transactions
  • Corporate issuers in equity forwards, accelerated stock buybacks and call spreads related to convertible offerings.
  • Dealer banks in structured total return swap transactions with loan underliers
  • Corporate and energy clients with respect to establishing carbon credit trading programs both in the voluntary and mandatory markets
  • Dealer banks, corporate treasury affiliates and funds in repo programs
  • Corporate end-users in establishing hedging programs and ISDA and derivatives documentation templates
  • Dealer banks in structured note programs related to equities and commodities
  • Commodities trading companies and energy companies in forward and repo transactions in the energy and metals industries

Derivatives & Commodities Regulatory

  • Total return swaps platform in their application and registration with the SEC
  • Dealers, technology providers and starts up with fintech regulatory counseling, including in the crypto space
  • Corporate end users with respect to their Dodd-Frank compliance
  • Trading units of corporate entities with respect to exchange obligations and investigations
  • Energy companies and trading companies with respect to swap dealer requirements and exemptions, including the physical forward exemption and de minimus exemption
  • Funds and private equity with respect to commodity pool operator compliance and exemptions

Sovereign Finance & Restructurings

  • Sovereigns in all facets of the restructuring of sovereign debt, including the Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Ghana
  • Liability management exercises on behalf of sovereigns, including the Republic of Ecuador and the City of Cordoba, Argentina
  • Dealer-Managers in sovereign restructurings including with respect to the restructuring of the debt of Sri Lanka
  • New issuances on behalf of sovereigns and state-owned oil companies, including with respect to the Republic of Ecuador
  • Dealer-managers in new sovereign issuances, including issuances for Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala

Latin American Capital Markets & Finance

  • Rule 144A and Regulation S issuances for state energy companies
  • Debt issuances (Regulation S and Rule 1444A) for financial institutions and banks including subordinated debt and capital issuances
  • Secured lending for Latin American banks as borrowers secured by liquid and marketable capital
  • Hedging programs for Latin American financial institutions, energy companies and corporate end users
  • Hedging and derivatives for Central Banks

Awards and Community

Recognized by Chambers Global for Derivatives (USA), 2025

Recognized by Chambers USA for Capital Markets: Derivatives (Nationwide), 2019-2024

Recommended by The Legal 500 U.S. for Finance: Structured Finance: Derivatives and Structured Products, 2017-2024

Recommended by The Legal 500 Latin America for International Firms: Banking and Finance, 2022-2023

Recommended by The Legal 500 Latin America for International Firms: Capital Markets, 2019-2024