Michael Evan Avidon Named 2022 Letter of Credit Lawyer of the Year

The Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (IIBLP) has named Moses & Singer LLP Partner Michael Evan Avidon as its 2022 Letter of Credit Lawyer of the Year.

Avidon will be recognized at IIBLP’s 2022 Online Annual LC Survey Conference – West (18-19 May) and formally honored at the organization’s in-person LC Law Summit, 19 October 2022, in New York City.

“Having known Mike for 25 years, there is no doubt that he is a pivotal figure in the letter of credit field,” said IIBLP CEO Michael P. Byrne. “Mike’s contributions to the field beginning with the ABA/USCIB Task Force to study the revision of UCC Article 5, to his work on the UCP, his continued contributions to ISP98, his time Chairing and Co-Chairing the ABA LC Subcommittee, his time driving best practices for LSTA, and somewhere in there, he managed to also be lead counsel on many of the major LC cases that have and continue to shape practice to this day. Mike is an amazing person, and deserving of this honor.”

As Co-Chair of Moses & Singer’s Banking & Finance Practice Group and throughout his career, Avidon has applied his wide-ranging expertise to handle complex matters involving commercial and standby letters of credit as well as demand guarantees.

“We are immensely proud of Mike’s contributions to trade finance and letter of credit practice and to our firm. Throughout his 38 years at Moses & Singer, Mike has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in his field,” said Moses & Singer LLP Partner Paul M. Roder, who has worked with Avidon for 23 years at the firm. “Mike’s colleagues and clients alike rightly view him as the “go-to” source for all aspects of trade finance and letter of credit transactions and disputes. He is also a highly respected leader at our firm and has acted as a mentor to countless young lawyers. One could not wish for a better lawyer, a better partner, or a better friend than Mike Avidon.”

A frequent writer and speaker on letters of credit and other finance-related topics, Avidon actively participates in bar associations and trade groups. Elected a Fellow of the prestigious American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers, Avidon is also a past Co-Chair of the Letters of Credit Subcommittee of the UCC Committee of the American Bar Association and is a past Chair of the Subcommittee on Letters of Credit of the New York State Bar Association’s Banking Law Committee.

Recalling Avidon’s impactful work in the effort to revise US Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Article 5, Jim Barnes of Baker McKenzie told DCW:

“Shortly after UCC Article 5 was revised in 1995, the reporter for UCC5 revision and I spoke at a meeting of law professors interested in international commercial law, and we then wrote law review articles about what and who influenced the ultimate revision of U.S. letter of credit law. Professor (James) White recounted the efforts of the USCIB (now BAFT) to advocate for (a/k/a “worship”) the UCP. I recounted the history of LC law/practice reform as then completed (UCC5, UCP500, and UN Convention) and about to start (ISP98) and as to who influenced UCC5, I named names. Michael Avidon was one of those named names with multiple mentions.” [See “Internationalization of Revised UCC Article 5 (Letters of Credit)”, 16 NORTHWESTERN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW & BUSINESS 215 (1995), notes 8, 10, and 17.]

“At the time, he was the youngest of the lawyers mentioned. Mike worked on LC law reform at the crucial time in the 90s when UCC Article 5 was revised and beyond for UCC [Article] 9 revision affecting LC proceeds as collateral, ISP98 annotated standby forms, and UCP600. He received a terrific education on LC law and practice and has grown it and shared it with LC lawyers and bankers in publications and programs too numerous to count. And he is still going and greatly appreciated and admired by me and my LC contemporaries”, added Barnes.

On a regular basis since its founding in 1987, the IIBLP has recognized distinguished industry professionals around the world their outstanding contributions to the field of letter of credit law and practice. Past honorees have included Jim Barnes (USA); Professor E. Peter Ellinger (Singapore); Carter Klein (USA); and Lorna STRONG (Canada).

The Institute of International Banking Law & Practice (www.iiblp.org) is a leading force in the letter of credit world and trade based financial crime compliance space, bringing together bankers, lawyers, regulators, academics, and corporate users in educational events and collaborative research initiatives designed to advance trade finance law and practice globally.