Jan Sysel
Jan has extensive experience representing sponsors, borrowers, arrangers, and lenders across the full range of products in fund finance and adjacent financing transactions.

He advises clients on structuring, negotiating, documenting, and executing a broad spectrum of financings, including syndicated senior facilities, mezzanine facilities, and private debt placements. His work spans unsecured and secured facilities with a particular focus on fund subscription, NAV and hybrid facilities, management company facilities, employee loan programs and other forms of investment fund leverage, as well as related transactions including back-leverage, rated note funds, collateralized fund obligations and, other securitized fund assets and bespoke structured financings.

Jan was previously a partner at another international law firm where he focused on fund finance transactions for over 20 years and completed a secondment at Goldman Sachs, advising on loan transactions for private wealth management clients.  He started his career practicing corporate law in the Czech Republic where he also served as a staff attorney in the Litigation Department of the Czech Ministry of Defense.

Jan currently serves on the Fund Finance Association (FFA) U.S. Advisory Council, and he frequently speaks at FFA and other industry conferences. He also mentors through the FFA’s NextGen platform, supporting junior fund finance market participants.

Expertise

Industries

Published Work

  • Contributor, “The Fund Finance Market Is In Its Transformative Era,” Law360, 2025
  • Co-author, Fund Finance Laws and Regulations – 2025: USA. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, 2025
  • Co-author, “Oh, What a Sweet Life It Is With Subscription Facilities!,” Global Legal Insights, 2025
  • Co-author, “NAV Loan Ratings Go Formal - Fitch Publishes Master Rating Criteria” (2025)
  • Co-author, Fund Finance Laws and Regulations – 2024: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, 2024
  • Co-author, “Key Takeaways from the FFA Global Fund Finance Symposium,” 2024
  • Co-author, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – The Importance of Subscription Facilities in the Fund Finance Market,” Global Legal Insights, 2024
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Seventh Edition, 2023
  • Co-author, “Subscription Facilities: Through the Looking Glass and Into Wonderland,” Global Legal Insights, 2023
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Sixth Edition, 2022
  • Co-author, “To Infinity and Beyond! The Remarkable Journey of Subscription Facilities,” Global Legal Insights, 2022
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Fifth Edition, 2021
  • Co-author, “Ka-Pow! Ka-Zoom! Subscription Lines – The 2020 Superheroes,” Global Legal Insights, 2021
  • Co-author, “Innovators and creative thinkers: We want you for fund finance - Brickfield Fund Finance Recruitment,” 2021
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Fourth Edition, 2020
  • Contributor, ‘Fund Finance Friday: Industry Conversations’ – Podcast with Jan Sysel and Adam Summers, 2020
  • Co-author, “Do Subscription Facilities Purr – Or Do They Roar?,” Global Legal Insights, 2020
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Third Edition, 2019
  • Co-author, “Not Your Garden Variety: Subscription Facilities Around the World,” Global Legal Insights, 2019
  • Co-author, Fund Finance: USA Chapter. In Global Legal Insights: Fund Finance, Second Edition, 2018
  • Co-author, “One Size Does Not Fit All: Subscription Facilities as a Global Financing Tool for Investment Funds of Various Types,” Global Legal Insights, 2018
  • Co-author, “All Shapes and Sizes: Subscription Facilities as Financing Tools for Investment Funds,” Global Legal Insights, 2017

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • Mentorship Program for FFA Next/Gen, Fund Finance Association
  • Member, US Advisory Council, Fund Finance Association

Qualifications

Admissions

New York

Academic

Columbia University, LLM, 2005

Charles University Prague, Faculty of Law, JUDr. Law, 2002

Charles University Prague, Faculty of Law, Master of Laws (Mgr.), Law (1999)

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.