Ralph P. Dudziak is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, where his wide-ranging financial practice serves several U.S. and international institutions, including banks, leasing companies, investment banks, aircraft companies, insurance companies, and other institutional investors, export credit agencies, renewable energy developers, and domestic and foreign borrowers and lessees. Mr. Dudziak is a member of the firm’s Finance & Financial Institutions and Transactional & Securities Practices and is chair of the firm’s Aviation & Aircraft Practice. He is also a member of the Energy Industry Team.
Mr. Dudziak has a broad range of experience in a wide array of transactional work, with a focus on lease and project financing. He advises clients on domestic and cross-border lease and leasehold financings, single investor lease financings, leveraged leases, synthetic and TRAC leases, and operating leases. In addition, Mr. Dudziak has worked extensively on complex equipment-based finance matters, including aircraft and rolling stock financings, power generation and transmission equipment financings, manufacturing equipment financings, and ECA supported financings of equipment, among others. Notably, Mr. Dudziak regularly represents financial institutions, captive finance companies and other institutional investors as tax equity investors in sophisticated tax-advantaged equipment and energy transactions. He has been cited by Who’s Who Legal for his aircraft finance practice. He was also recognized in 2011 by the Legal 500 for his work in project finance.
Mr. Dudziak also regularly facilitates other significant areas of secured privately placed or capital markets funded and structured financings, including lease receivable securitizations, leveraged financings, debtor-in-possession financings, whole loan sales, double-dip financings, lease portfolio transfers, workouts, ETC and EETC financings, 144A financings, and secured and unsecured private placements. He has extensive experience with a wide range of additional financing alternatives, including secondary market asset and tax equity trades, and back-leveraging transactions.
Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Dudziak was a partner with Mayer Brown LLP. From time to time, he speaks at industry conferences on topics relating to lease, renewable energy and project finance.
Mr. Dudziak earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D., 1986). He received his bachelor’s degree from Augustana College (B.A., summa cum laude, 1983).
Mr. Dudziak is admitted to practice in Illinois and before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the American Bar Association - Section of Corporation, Business and Banking Law.