Hawkins represents clients in a broad spectrum of loan sales and asset-backed securities transactions, including mortgage pass-throughs, sales of whole loans and participation interests in such loans, sales of servicing involving thrift institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and public pension funds, and sales to FNMA, FHLMC, thrift institutions, mortgage bankers, insurance companies and public pension funds. Hawkins also assists clients in developing numerous other asset sales programs, such as for education loans, farm loans, municipal bonds, hospital receivables, trade receivables, equipment leases and commercial loans. The Firm has significant expertise in the use of derivatives tailored prudently to assist clients to reduce interest rate risks, having participated in a broad range of such hedging products (including interest rate swaps, caps, options, and forwards) in various roles (including issuer’s counsel, bond counsel, underwriters’ counsel, or special derivatives counsel).

Hawkins has very significant experience and expertise in tobacco settlement securitization transactions throughout the country. Hawkins is the leading law firm in tobacco securitization financings, having participated in 34 transactions, aggregating in excess of $13 billion, significantly more in terms of number of deals and dollar volume than any other law firm. Hawkins has participated in 9 of the 14 State tobacco financings that have closed, more than any other law firm, as well as the financings that have closed for the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.