Two advisors from The Alta Group will share expertise on legal issues impacting the equipment leasing industry at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) 2023 Legal Forum taking place May 7-9 in Fort Myers, FL.

Paul Bent, Senior Managing Director of The Alta Group and the leader of Alta’s Legal Services and Business Assessment practices, will participate in a May 7 panel discussion titled, “When Borrowers, Brokers and Vendors Do Bad Things: Fraud Schemes and Other Challenges for Lenders.” Moderating the discussion with him will be Jennifer Witherell Crastz, a partner with Hemar, Roussou & Heald, LLP.

Bent’s presentation will offer actionable tips to help legal professionals serving the equipment leasing industry spot potentially fraudulent deals and avoid the costly pitfalls of the alarming increase in cybercrime impacting global businesses. He will explain fraud schemes he has seen in his decades of experience working in the equipment leasing and finance industry, focusing specifically on how these breaches could have been prevented. Bent’s talk will cover “red flags” of which leasing professionals should be aware.

Alta Group Director Patricia Voorhees will participate in the forum’s “Clean Energy and ESG” panel discussion. The anticipated global transition to cleaner energy infrastructure is expected to create a significant opportunity for the equipment finance industry.

Voorhees will discuss recent policy events that are helping drive this activity and quantify the market opportunity. Her presentation will also discuss ELFA’s Climate Finance Working Group formed late last year. Co-panelist Stephen Whelan, a partner with Blank Rome LLP, will detail opportunities related to clean-energy equipment finance.

The ELFA is offering both virtual and in-person formats for the 2023 Legal Forum. Learn more at elfaonline.com.