Being a lawyer is about helping people come together and find solutions.
I'm not going to be your worst idea of what an attorney is. I work as a collaborator with my clients, and consider it my job to be a part of the business and to add value like another member of the team. I form close relationships with my clients to learn everything I can about their needs, struggles, and goals, and ultimately find solutions for them. Especially in the commercial lending area, I recognize the importance of keeping all costs down, and focusing on the essential to make sure deals run smoothly and get completed.
I enjoy working on projects that benefit communities – I love the challenge and complexity of large, $100 million deals, but feel a real sense of accomplishment working on smaller deals that have a direct impact on the community.
Outside of work, I have two extremely energetic dogs, and my wife and I enjoy going up north with them to unplug and burn off energy. I also play the drums, and am always looking for a new band to play with.
As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be an attorney, and while I was in undergrad I did a summer internship at a law firm in Palo Alto, California. I was working late one night, and saw that someone's light was also still on, and asked what I could do to help. That was how I wandered into spearheading the administration of legal due diligence matters for Intel's $7.7 billion acquisition of McAfee, Inc. The work was complex, interesting, and there were a lot more late nights ahead of me, but it was thrilling to be part of the transaction and move a huge deal forward. I realized that late nights don't bother me when you're part of something like that, and nothing beats the feeling at the end of a successful transaction.
I represent lenders of all sizes, from large institutional lenders to small community banks, in commercial lending matters including drafting and negotiating agreements, acquisitions, asset-based financings, bond offerings, real estate sales, and others.