Jerry Blanchard focuses his practice on financial institutions. He advises clients on all aspects of commercial and private lending, collections, troubled debt restructuring, distressed loan sales and bankruptcy management. He has dealt extensively with state and federal laws and regulations such as anti-tying, privacy and Sarbanes-Oxley. He is the author of "Lender Liability: Law, Practice and Prevention" and is co-author of "Problem Loan Workouts," both published by West. He is a frequent speaker in the areas of loan documentation, bankruptcy and lender liability and is experienced in the investigation of financial frauds and scams.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Blanchard served as Associate General Counsel for Bank of America Corporation, where he managed a team of lawyers providing legal support to Middle Market Banking, Small Business Banking, Dealer Finance and Private Lending client groups following the merger of Bank of America and FleetBoston.

Mr. Blanchard was chairperson of the Atlanta Chapter of the Corporate Counsel Association of America for 2003 and is the Treasurer of the Corporate Counsel Section of the Atlanta Bar Association for 2005-06. He was the winner of the 2004 A Business Commitment Pro Bono Award from the State Bar of Georgia for professionalism and strong commitment to the delivery of pro bono business law services to the nonprofit and community economic development sectors in Georgia, exemplified by his service to the Cobb Microenterprise Center and his demonstrated commitment to increased pro bono activity of corporate counsel during his tenure as President of the Georgia Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association.

Publications

• "Class Actions Arising From Information Theft," The RMA Journal, April 2008
• "Lender Liability: Law, Practice and Prevention," (3 Volumes), West Publishing
• "Problem Loan Workouts," (2 Volumes), West Publishing, co-author

Professional Affiliations

• American Bankers Association – Associate Member
• American Bar Association – Business Law Section
• Atlanta Bar Association – Bankruptcy Section
• Community Bankers Association of Georgia – Associate Member
• Georgia Bankers Association – Associate Member
• Independent Community Bankers of America – Associate Member
• Risk Management Association – Member
• State Bar of Georgia

Civic Involvement and Distinctions

• Best Lawyers (Banking Law, 2007-2010)
• Business Commitment Pro Bono Award – State Bar of Georgia, 2004