Practice Area
We sit on both sides of the table: community lenders who need documents that hold up, and business borrowers who need to understand what they are actually signing.
Credit is where a business is most exposed and least likely to have read carefully. A personal guaranty, a confession of judgment, a cross-default clause or a sweep account can change what a loan means long after the money is spent.
Our banking and finance practice advises community banks, credit unions, private lenders and CDFIs on documentation and compliance, and advises borrowers on the terms in front of them. Where a loan has gone sideways, we negotiate the workout before anyone files anything.
Free initial consultation.
Thirty minutes with the attorney who would handle the matter — not an intake screener. Call 000-000-000 or send us the details through the contact form.
How we help
Term loans, lines of credit, equipment finance and owner-occupied commercial mortgages, documented from commitment through closing.
Borrower-side review of guaranties, security agreements, covenants and default provisions in plain language.
Lending compliance programs, BSA/AML policies, fair lending reviews and examination preparation for community institutions.
UCC-1 filings, collateral perfection, intercreditor and subordination agreements.
Forbearance agreements, modifications, deed-in-lieu and negotiated payoffs.
Enforcement, replevin, receiverships and judgment collection where a workout is not available.
When to call us
If you are not sure whether your situation belongs on that list, call anyway. Telling you that you do not need a lawyer is free, and we would rather do that than take a matter that should not exist.
Attorneys in this practice
Managing Partner
Margaret founded the firm's business practice in 1998 and has spent twenty-five years advising Queens companies through formation, growth, financing and sale. She chairs the firm's management committee and still handles closings herself.
Partner
Priya advises community banks, credit unions and lenders on regulatory compliance, loan documentation and workouts. She came to the firm after eight years in a Manhattan financial institutions group.
Associate
Aleksander represents individuals and small businesses in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings in the Eastern District of New York, and negotiates with creditors where a filing can be avoided.
Questions
Sometimes there is no alternative, but the guaranty's terms are frequently negotiable even when the loan's are not — whether it is limited or unlimited, whether it burns off after a period of performance, and whether the lender must pursue the collateral first. Those points are worth an hour of a lawyer's time before you sign.
Both, in separate matters. We run conflict checks before every engagement, and we will not act for a lender against a borrower we represent.
Yes, and sooner is much better. Lenders are usually more flexible before an acceleration letter goes out than after. Bring the loan documents and the last two years of financials to the first meeting.
Tell us what is going on. The first consultation is free, it is with the attorney who would handle your matter, and there is no obligation afterwards.