The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) has awarded Barry S. Marks, founding shareholder of Marks & Associates, P.C., the Edward A. Groobert Award for Legal Excellence. Marks received the award on May 8 at the ELFA Legal Forum in St. Pete Beach, Florida. ELFA Legal Committee Chair Allan Umans, VP & General Counsel at Pacific Rim Capital, Inc., presented the award to Mr. Marks in recognition of his significant contributions to the Association and the equipment leasing and finance industry.

Since 1977, Marks has concentrated his legal practice in the areas of equipment leasing and finance and commercial lending and he has been an active member of ELFA for more than 30 years. He has served as a member of the association’s Legal Committee, which is a member and staff resource on a wide range of national and international legal issues impacting the equipment finance industry. He also has made many presentations and participated on numerous panels at the ELFA Legal Forum, an annual event for attorneys serving the equipment finance industry, and other ELFA events.

In addition, Marks is an active member of ELFA’s LegalTalk, an e-mail discussion group where members post questions and exchange commentary on legal topics, sharing his industry expertise, insights and analysis on a wide range of legal issues important for equipment leasing and finance lawyers.

A prolific author, Marks publishes a monthly newsletter and maintains the informative leaselawyer.com website.  He authored chapters in Matthew Bender’s Equipment Leasing and the Practicing Law Institute’s Equipment Leasing - Leveraged Leasing treatises and co-authored Power Tools for Successful Leasing, Technology Leasing: A Lessee Toolkit and Power Tools for Small Ticket Leasing, available from Leasing Power Tools Press. In addition, Marks serves on the Editorial Review Board for the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Journal of Equipment Lease Financing as well as the review board for the LJN Equipment Leasing Newsletter and has contributed to numerous industry publications, including ELFA’s Executive Guide to Lease Documentation.

Marks received a B.A. from Emory University (magna cum laude); a J.D. from the University of Florida (with high honors); and an LLM degree in Taxation from Emory University. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Florida Bar and the State Bar of Georgia. Marks was the first lawyer to earn the Certified Lease & Finance Professional (CLFP) designation and has been active in promoting leasing education and ethical conduct for lawyers, business executives and others in the industry. He is a Director Emeritus of the National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers and in 1999 he received the NAELB Bill Granieri Award for Education in Equipment Leasing.

In addition, Marks is past President of the Alabama State Poetry Society, has been on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Writers Conclave and has published three award-winning books of poetry as well as numerous poems and short stories.

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.