Earlier this year, Jeffrey B. Dunlop and Maria T. McGuire were named co-chairs of Goldberg Kohn’s Commercial Finance Practice Group. They succeed Michael Hainen, who completed his highly successful nine-year term as the practice group leader at the end of 2023.

Dunlop and McGuire take the helm of the largest practice group at Goldberg Kohn, with over 40 attorneys dedicated to representing banks, private credit funds, specialty lenders and other commercial lenders in loan transactions focused on the middle market and involving borrowers across a broad spectrum of industries and sectors.

Dunlop, who joined Goldberg Kohn in 2006, focuses his practice on the representation of banks and other commercial lenders in a variety of commercial finance transactions. He is experienced in handling secured asset-based and cash-flow loans, leveraged buy-outs, mezzanine financings, second lien financings and unitranche loan transactions. In addition, he has extensive experience in cross-border lending transactions involving North and South America, Europe and Asia.

McGuire, who joined Goldberg Kohn in 2005, represents banks, finance companies, private credit and specialty lenders in asset-based and cash-flow loans, and working capital and acquisition finance transactions. She has experience in a variety of business sectors, including technology finance transactions. McGuire also has extensive experience in international finance transactions, primarily focusing on Europe and North America, and is regularly engaged in restructurings and workouts.

Both were named “40 Under 40” award recipients by the Secured Finance Network, which recognizes “the best and brightest rising stars in secured finance.”

Please tell us about your career trajectories.   

McGuire:  I joined GK as a lateral associate in 2005 after two years at a large firm.  During those two years I did general corporate work that included finance, and I realized that I enjoyed the finance work more than the other corporate work.  When I found GK in 2005, it was a great fit for me. I knew I wanted to go to a midsized firm, and the lending practice here is very strong and such a large part of the firm. Richard Kohn (one of the founders of the firm) interviewed me, which is kind of amazing, particularly to a third-year associate coming from a large firm with over 500 attorneys. Meeting with Richard really affected me and my decision to come here.

I became a principal of the firm at the start of 2011 and began the process of learning the new roles and responsibilities that are a part of being a principal.  Then this last year I was thrilled when the other finance principals selected Jeff and me to be co-chairs of the finance practice.

Dunlop:  My path was less direct. I worked in litigation consulting for a few years right after college before going back to law school. Through that role, and working with my superiors who were consultants providing expert testimony on valuations for dispute resolution, I met a lot of attorneys and that’s what piqued my interest in going back to law school.  Having a finance and business background, transactional practice in some fashion made sense to me. I found myself as a summer associate at Goldberg Kohn and really enjoyed the people and the work in the finance practice. So, I wound up somewhat fortuitously in this group, in this practice, without directing and guiding it as such. 

To Maria’s point, what I have grown to really appreciate about this practice is how it touches so many different areas of commerce generally. We represent secured lenders in financing transactions, but in that space the borrower could be a manufacturing company, in retail, in automotive, in hospitality, or any number of other industries, and it could be an international business. We get to interact with a broad cross-section of commerce in this practice as a result. 

On addition, our clients  may have different risk-reward profiles and different investment expectations, which means we get to see a lot of different loans and commercial enterprises through our work, and it’s really been a fascinating legal practice to learn.

Can you tell us a bit about your new roles and responsibilities? 
McGuire: This is the first time that our group has had cochairs. It’s also the first time that a woman has been the chair of the finance practice. I think one thing that really makes our group interesting is that all of the principals were, at some point, associates in our group. We don’t have any lateral partners. We haven’t acquired other firms or merged with other firms, so we have worked with each other for a long time. We know and trust each other and care deeply about the firm and its success.  We know who to go to with different projects or topics that come up in our matters - what each other’s experience is and where the relationships are. I look forward to continuing to grow our group and our practice while maintaining our close-knit culture.

Mike Hainen was the chair before us, and he really did an excellent job of growing the practice. We have big shoes to fill.

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