Winston & Strawn Expands Structured Finance Practice With Corporate Duo: Chris Gavin and Taylor Speers

NEW YORK and DALLAS, March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Winston & Strawn LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Chris Gavin and Taylor Speers as partners in the firm's Structured Finance Practice and its Transactions Department. Chris will serve as co-chair of the practice and will be based in the firm's New York office; Taylor will work in Dallas.

An innovative attorney in structured finance, Chris represents originators, servicers, issuers, borrowers, sellers, buyers, lenders, official lenders, hedge funds, private equity funds, and other investors in U.S. and international structured finance transactions. The transactions undertaken by Chris total in principal balance over a trillion dollars and have a footprint spanning North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. 

Chris has significant experience with the sale, purchase, securitizing, and financing of many forms of assets and projects. His practice includes residential mortgage loans, residential transition loans, residential mortgage servicing rights, second lien loans, auto loans and leases, marketplace lending assets, commercial mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, franchise loans, life insurance policy loans, toll road projects, forward sale commodity contracts, lower- and middle-income residential projects, and payroll deduction loans.

"Unpredictable market conditions have led to increasingly complex deal structures among private funds," said Chris. "Winston has an outstanding Structured Finance Practice (as well as a Private Investment Funds Practice) and a full-service platform that will enable me to work with my new colleagues as a trusted advisor helping industry-leading clients to effectively navigate today's economic and financial challenges."

"Chris has built a strong and stable structured finance practice in critical areas such as the residential real estate market," said New York Office Managing Partner Mats Carlston. "His exceptional skills are a significant addition to the talent and client service for which our New York finance team is known."

Taylor's practice centers on complex residential mortgage finance transactions. He has represented clients with respect to purchases and sales of mortgage servicing rights, purchases and sales of whole loans, repurchase and other warehouse financing facilities, servicing advance facilities, servicing and origination platform acquisitions, acquisitions of excess servicing strips, and other related matters.

In an earlier role as in-house counsel, Taylor was the lead transactional attorney for a top non-bank residential mortgage originator and servicer. He directly handled or managed a broad array of transactional matters, including servicing right acquisitions, entity mergers and acquisitions, takeout investor trades, and servicing advance and warehouse financing arrangements.

"The residential market is experiencing a significant reset following elevated demand for homes during the COVID lockdown," said Taylor. "Between sustained inflation and the increased cost of capital, managing these changes will be complex. That's a challenge I look forward to tackling at Winston."

"Post pandemic migration is transforming the housing market in Texas and has set the standard for growth in the nation's residential and commercial real estate markets," said Dallas Office Managing Partner Bryan Goolsby. "With this expansion comes new challenges and levels of complexity, and we welcome Taylor's insight and practical experience."

"Chris and Taylor are a compelling team who will further elevate Winston's Structured Finance Practice and its elite-level work in bespoke assets and transactions," said Winston Chairman Tom Fitzgerald. "Their arrival reinforces Winston's established reputation for excellence in providing clients with the highest-caliber service in financial transactions."

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with 16 offices located in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. More information about the firm is available at www.winston.com.

Contact:
Michael Goodwin
[email protected]
646-502-3595

SOURCE Winston & Strawn LLP