Bio

As a dual-licensed attorney (Brazil and New York), Fernanda Iacia has almost 20 years of experience as a transactional lawyer in a broad range of sophisticated legal matters, including cross-border financings, project finance, capital markets equity and debt issuances and FCPA advice and monitoring, among others. Iacia started her career in Rio de Janeiro, at the Export Credit Division of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and then moved into private practice by joining a top-tier Brazilian law firm where she focused on project finance deals in the energy and oil & gas sectors. After pursuing her LL.M. at Columbia University, she joined Shearman & Sterling as capital markets associate where she spent more than 8 years representing both issuers and underwriters in a full spectrum of debt and equity security offerings, including SEC-registered and exempt issuances, and other financing deals. In August 2017, she joined Bank of America in Brazil to provide senior level legal support for the investment banking and bank finance franchise in Brazil. Iacia then expanded her role to cover the entire Latin America region, primarily focused on providing bankers with advice on complex legal issues and other matters impacting cross-border bilateral and syndicated lending (leveraged and investment grade) involving Latin American obligors. She also covers a wide range of Brazilian law matters, including local debt offerings, financing transactions and related regulatory matters. Known as a trusted advisor for clients in financial markets and for her project management skills, Iacia believes that understanding your audience and being adaptable is key to providing adequate legal service to clients.