Kerry M. Southerland

ABOUT

Kerry’s involvement in both the lending and workout sides of the loan transaction provides a unique and valuable perspective to SettlePou’s lender clients. She has extensive experience with problem loan workouts, due diligence performance, and SBA guaranty purchase preparation. She also acts as oversight counsel to certain of the firm’s clients, a role which involves general guidance regarding collection and liquidation actions, management of lenders’ accounts across the nation, including bankruptcy and commercial litigation matters, and workout negotiation and documentation. Her background in the area of Creditor’s Rights & Bankruptcy has prepared her to anticipate, avoid, and resolve problems prior to and after the loan closing, such as SBA repair or denial issues.

In her leisure time, Kerry is a devoted runner. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and reading.

Kerry M. Southerland grew up in a small town in the Delta region of Arkansas, a diverse community that represented extremes—wealth and poverty, empowerment and helplessness. Her experiences there taught her the importance of advocacy, a lesson that has served her well in the practice of law. Kerry went on to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she majored in English and Spanish but kept her sights set on a law career throughout her college experience. She counts both of these life experiences as invaluable to her education, believing exposure to diversity is the best way to understand oneself and others. She reflects on her hard work and accomplishments with pride and a great deal of appreciation to those who inspired her along the way.

As a member of SettlePou’s Commercial Lending, SBA & USDA Lending, and Creditor’s Rights & Bankruptcy practices, Kerry’s greatest rewards come from knowing she has helped make someone else’s job easier.

AREAS OF PRACTICE

• Creditor’s Rights & Bankruptcy
• Commercial Lending
• SBA & USDA Lending

EDUCATION

• Vanderbilt University, B.A., 2003 (summa cum laude), Phi Beta Kappa
• Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, J.D., 2006 (cum laude); Articles Editor, Computer Law Review and Technology Journal; Phi Delta Phi

ADMISSIONS & HONORS

• Texas State Bar Admittance, 2006
• SBA Designated 504 Closing Attorney, 2014

ARTICLES & PRESENTATIONS

• Speaker and Author, Navigating the Collection Process Across State Borders, National Business Institute
• Speaker and Author, Collection Litigation and Motion Practice, Texas Advanced Paralegal Seminar