Dechert Continues Global Finance Expansion With Edward “Jay” Southgate; Brings Considerable Experience in Consumer Lending and Fintech

Dechert LLP is pleased to announce that Edward “Jay” Southgate has joined the global finance practice as an asset finance and securitization partner based in New York.

An experienced capital markets lawyer, Mr. Southgate represents financial institutions, issuers and underwriters in private placements of residential mortgage and asset-backed securities, with a particular focus on consumer lending and fintech. Additionally, he counsels financial institutions in connection with negotiating flow purchase and servicing arrangements with platform originators, and the warehouse financing of a broad range of products, including credit card and equipment receivables.

Mr. Southgate, who received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, both masters and undergraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and an additional masters from Columbia University, joins Dechert from a major international law firm. Previously, he worked in the investment management division of Goldman Sachs, with an emphasis on alternative capital markets and regulatory compliance issues. He also spent time as a capital markets associate in the New York and Tokyo offices of another major international firm.

Laura Swihart, co-chair of Dechert’s global finance and real estate practice groups, commented: “Jay is an accomplished lawyer and will be a fantastic addition to our firm. With significant experience in complex financings and securitizations across the residential mortgage-backed securities and asset finance and securitization spaces, and a particular focus on consumer lending and fintech, Jay’s practice has both breadth and depth.”

“I am very excited to join Dechert’s collaborative global finance group during such an exciting period of expansion for the practice and the firm more broadly,” said Mr. Southgate. “I look forward to contributing to the firm’s strategic growth while continuing to provide exceptional advice to clients on their most innovative and complex financing and securitizations transactions.”

Mr. Southgate further deepens the bench of the global finance practice; his arrival follows the recent additions of leveraged finance partners Alon Goldberger, Ani Ravi, and Soo-Ah Nah; structured credit and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) partner Jon Burke; and commercial real estate partners Kathleen Mylod and Craig Brown.

Dechert’s asset finance & securitization team handles complex financings and securitizations involving a wide variety of asset classes, derivatives and other complex structures, representing issuers, underwriters, originators, asset managers and other market participants. Dechert routinely represents clients in the acquisition, servicing and financing of many asset classes including auto loans, unsecured consumer loans, credit card receivables, equipment leases, residential mortgage loans, servicing rights, student loans and trade receivables as well as more esoteric asset classes. Dechert was named a 2020 Law360 "Structured Finance Practice Group of the Year." The AFS group is also ranked as a leading firm by Chambers and Partners USA, IFLR1000, and The Legal 500 US.

Dechert’s global finance group provides a responsive, interdisciplinary, multi-jurisdictional team to address the complexities of modern finance transactions across categories and geographies. With more than 170 lawyers in the world’s major financial centers, our internationally recognized practice provides clients with innovative deal structuring, creative financing strategies and efficient execution. Our clients receive comprehensive solutions for all of their finance needs.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 22 offices around the world. The firm advises on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.