DEBRA TAYLOR LEWIS is a Partner in the firm's Birmingham office. Her principal practice area involves the representation of banks and other lenders in connection with lending and workout activities, leasing issues, regulatory compliance and transactions, various trust related matters, including both personal and corporate trust, and disputes. She is a member of the firm's Credit Crisis Group, a special team of lawyers working on challenges created by the current disruptions in the credit and other capital markets. Her clients include banks affiliated with the largest bank holding company headquartered in Birmingham, as well as a number of smaller regional and community banks.

Additionally, Debra serves as counsel to various closely held business and companies in Alabama, including businesses engaged in construction and real estate development and other activities.

Ms. Lewis has extensive experience in the following areas:

• representation of developers and indenture trustees in low income housing tax credit financing;
• representation of both lenders and borrowers in all aspects of commercial real estate finance and other security, including acquisition and construction financing, permanent financing, mortgage loans, subordinated financing, credit-enhanced financing and bankruptcy;
• representation of both project owners and tenants in the negotiation and preparation of leases for retail, industrial and commercial projects of all types. This includes various forms of commercial leases, ground leases, real estate management arrangements, lease workouts, landlord takeovers and lease disputes and lease restructuring;
• suspicious activity reports and responses to subpoenas;
• financial services litigation;
• negotiation of vendor contracts and other regulatory matters for financial institutions;
  corporate and personal trust related issues; and
• workouts and loan defaults.

Prior to joining Balch & Bingham LLP, Ms. Lewis served as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary for KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc. Ms. Lewis also served as Law Clerk to Judge Robert P. Bradley, Alabama Court of Civil Appeals.

Ms. Lewis is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences for lawyers and financial services industry personnel on preventative law measures, documentation, new statutes, regulations and judicial developments affecting the banking and financial services industry.

Ms. Lewis is also a member of and frequent panelist at seminars sponsored by the National Association of Bond Lawyers ("NABL") and recently served a three-year term on the Bond Attorneys' Workshop Steering Committee of NABL, chairing its Corporate Trust Concerns section.

Representative Experience

• Balch & Bingham has one of the largest financial services practices in the Southeast. Ms. Lewis has served as counsel for developers, lenders, institutional investors, credit enhancers, indenture trustees, borrowers and issuers in both financing transactions and in restructuring, workout and bankruptcies related to commercial loans, tax-exempt and other municipal financing projects for:

  • affordable housing;
  • real estate based assets;
  • housing and economic development projects;
  • healthcare facilities;
  • solid waste disposal facilities;
  • 501(c)(3) facilities;
  • educational facilities;
  • municipal infrastructure; and
  • manufacturing facilities.

  Ms. Lewis has represented indenture trustees, underwriters and credit enhancers in both taxable and tax-exempt bond transactions and has maximized recoveries in workouts of these type transactions through her practical knowledge of the bond markets and the structure and documentation of bond transactions.

  • As counsel to the Indenture Trustee, Ms. Lewis most recently concluded the successful workout of a defaulted $25,000,000 tax-exempt bond issue which resulted in full payment of principal and accrued interest to all bondholders.
  • Represented borrower in closing a $110,000,000 secured line of credit.
  • Represented an Alabama municipality in the acquisition of real property for the construction of a $26,000,000 baseball stadium complex.
  • Represented lender in closing a letter of credit transaction in the amount of $16,000,000 secured by multiple parcels of real property in various states.
  • Represented an Alabama bank holding company making acquisitions of various banks.
  • Workout and restructuring of a $3,000,000 loan to private business;
  • Evaluating documentation issues pertaining to downgraded credit and advising and assisting on various corrective steps;
  • Represented the trustee in over 20 affordable housing bond issues valued at over $100,000,000.00.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• • Alabama State Bar, Member, Real Property, Probate and Trust Section, Bankruptcy and Commercial Law Section and Business Law Section
  • Alabama State Bar Reciprocity Issues Task Force, 2005-2006
  • American Bar Association, Member, Banking Law Section
  • American Bar Association, Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law
  • Task Force on American Bar Association Model Trust Indenture Covenants
  • National Association of Bond Lawyers, Chair, Corporate Trust Concerns, Bond Attorneys' Workshop
  • National Association of Bond Lawyers, Model Trust Indenture Committee
  • Birmingham Bar Association
  • Montgomery County Bar Association, Member, Grievance Committee, 1995-1997
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • International Council of Shopping Centers, Member
  • Balch & Bingham Compensation, Premises, Recruiting and Associates Committees
  • Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation, Member, Board of Directors
  • Leadership Montgomery
  • Momentum Leadership Program
  • Birmingham Museum of Art
  • Commercial Real Estate Women, Birmingham
  • The Federalist Society
  • Junior League of Birmingham
  • The Women's Network
  • Awarded an AV Peer Review Rating by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell

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