Bill Hairston, an adjunct professor in Cumberland School of Law’s online graduate program, co-led a virtual panel discussion on “Lender Liability in the Era of COVID-19” for the Association of Commercial Finance Attorneys (ACFA), April 29, 2021. Presented along with Sanford Shatz, of counsel for McGlinchey Stafford LLP headquartered in New Orleans (and former in-house counsel at Countrywide Home Loans and Bank of America), the discussion explored the affect the COVID-19 pandemic has on the legal risks faced by commercial lenders.

 

The ACFA is a select group of both in house and private practice attorneys who represent all of the major banks, finance companies and factors in the United States and who are experts in middle market commercial credit matters. 

 

Hairston’s presentation focused on lender liability associated with the PPP loan program created by the CARES Act, and Shatz focused on the effect the CARES Act and related pandemic recovery acts and regulations have on the residential mortgage market

 

In addition to teaching in Cumberland's graduate program, Hairston is a solo practitioner providing business and succession planning guidance to select clientele. Simultaneously, he is of counsel for, and former shareholder of Engel Hairston & Johanson PC where he practiced primarily in the areas of consumer credit defense, commercial finance, business and succession planning, workouts, turnaround management, lending, SBA lending and real estate matters.

 

“It was an honor for me to once again team up with Sandy to present to the ACFA how the current pandemic and the associated recovery aspects have affected the lending market and to have a part in making the Cumberland graduate programs a leader in the nation in providing compliance-focused legal master’s degrees,” Hairston said.