The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) has awarded Alan Mogol, Principal at Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver, the Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence. Mogol received the award May 2 at the ELFA Legal Forum in San Francisco. ELFA Legal Committee Chair Judy VanOsdel, Executive Vice President/Chief Legal Officer at TCF Equipment Finance, a division of TCF National Bank, presented the award to Mogol in recognition of his significant contributions to the equipment leasing and finance industry and the association’s Legal Committee.

Mogol has been involved in the equipment finance industry for more than 40 years. He was an early pioneer of the leasing legal community and developed innovative approaches to a number of important legal issues. He created standard middle market lease documentation currently used by many banks and finance companies active in the industry.  He also developed standard syndication documentation accepted as the industry norm, including flexible master assignment agreements, participation agreements and motor vehicle titling trust documents.  He popularized use of the motor vehicle titling trust to facilitate the syndication of titled vehicle financings. 

Mogol has been an active member of the ELFA for more than 30 years. He served on a variety of committees and subcommittees, and was one of the early members of the association’s Legal Committee, which serves as a member and staff resource on a wide range of national and international legal issues impacting the leasing and finance industry. In addition, Mogol has made numerous presentations and participated on numerous panels at the ELFA Legal Forum, an annual event for attorneys serving the equipment finance industry. He has also co-authored chapters in equipment finance legal treatises and has contributed legal articles to the association’s magazines.

The Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence is named for ELFA’s long-time Secretary and General Counsel Edward A. Groobert, who was active in the legal affairs of the association from the mid-1960s until his retirement in 2010.