Alston & Bird Partner Lynn A. Soukup Elected Fellow of American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers

In recognition of her longstanding involvement in the practice of commercial finance law, Alston & Bird LLP partner Lynn A. Soukup has been elected a fellow of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (ACCFL). The ACCFL was founded in the early 1990s by lawyers active in the Commercial Financial Services Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association to meet the perceived need for a group of commercial finance lawyers to share their knowledge with other legal practitioners in this area. The objectives of the ACCFL are to promote high standards of professional and ethical responsibility in the practice of commercial finance law, and to speak, develop and disseminate materials relating to current topics and trends in the field.

Commenting on the appointment, ACCFL president Ed Smith stated, “Highly respected by her peers, Lynn was elected based on her outstanding technical expertise, dedication and contributions to furthering the field of financial law.”

With the recent election of 10 new fellows, the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers now numbers 150 members. To become a member of the ACCFL, a candidate must be nominated by two members, who submit letters of recommendation for consideration by the nominating committee, which in turn makes recommendations to the Board of Regents. Two-thirds of the 23-member Board must vote to approve candidates selected by the nominating committee.

Alston & Bird’s Soukup, partner in the Firm’s Leveraged Capital and Capital Markets Groups, has focused her practice on finance transactions for more than 20 years. She represents issuers, credit enhancers, and other market participants in securitizing many types of assets, including consumer receivables, mortgage loans, future cash flows, and interests in other securitizations, often in first-of-their-kind transactions. She is also frequently involved in structuring commercial loans and other financing transactions and restructurings of secured financings.

Soukup currently chairs the ABA’s Business Law Section’s Investment Securities Subcommittee, focusing on issues relating to financing transactions, including mezzanine financing of real estate. Soukup has been recognized for her expertise on the impact of the recent revisions to the Uniform Commercial Code on financing transactions and legal opinions. She is a frequent lecturer and author on finance-related topics.