T.J. GORDON is a partner in Sidley Austin LLP’s Chicago office. Mr. Gordon’s practice focuses on representation of banks, alternative asset funds, insurance companies, corporate borrowers and other financial intermediaries in structured finance, asset securitization, secured lending and special situations transactions. Financings and acquisitions of student loans, both federally-guaranteed (FFELP) and private, online/peer-to-peer (P2P) loans and other consumer receivables comprise a significant portion of his practice. Representative transactions and financial products include:

Representations of lenders in student loan warehouse financings with aggregate commitments in excess of $70 billion.
Representations of investors in the acquisition and financing of peer-to-peer loans (P2P loans) from online lending platforms, including forward flow purchase programs, warehouse financings and term securitizations of online/P2P loans.
Acquisitions of financial assets with an aggregate purchase price in excess of $7.5 billion, including representation of Discover Financial Services in its acquisition of The Student Loan Corporation.
Securitizations involving trade receivables, credit card receivables, commercial loans (CLOs), student loans, franchise rights, time share receivables, equipment and motor vehicle finance receivables, small business mortgage loans and life settlements, as well as whole business securitization.
Syndicated bank and mezzanine financings (including investment grade, asset backed, A/B, unitranche and acquisition financings).
Restructurings, work-outs and other insolvency related matters, including Chapter 11 proceedings, debtor-in-possession financings and collapsing SIVs, CDOs and other structured vehicles.
Synthetic commutations of financial guaranty insurance policies.

Mr. Gordon was the Comment Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review. Mr. Gordon was the recipient of the John M. Olin Foundation Student Fellowship in Law & Economics at The University of Chicago Law School.

Speaking Engagements

Mr. Gordon frequently participates in student loan finance conferences. In particular, he has been involved in the following speaking engagements:

Moderator, Education Loan & Financing Executive Summit, Washington, D.C., May 9, 2012, “Finding Value in Student Loans Today”
Moderator, Student Loans 2011 Financing Summit, New York, December 1, 2011, “Mergers and Acquisitions in the Student Loan Industry”
Speaker, NCHELP/EFC Summer Legal Conference, New York, August 8, 2011, “Student Loan Assets: Sales, Mergers and Acquisitions”
Speaker, Student Loans Financing Summit, Washington, D.C., May 10-11, 2010, “Restructuring ARS and VRDN ‘Bank Bonds’”
Speaker, Student Loans Financing Update, New York, December 8, 2009, “Financial Regulatory Reform”
Moderator, Students Loans in the Capital Markets, May 15-16, 2008, “Servicing Student Loans: A Critical and Functional Evaluation”

Education Affiliations

Delegate to the North Shore School District 112 (Highland Park and Highwood, IL) School Board Caucus
Yale Alumni Schools Committee (Alumni Interviewing)