Jones Walker announced that David S. Willenzik has joined the firm’s New Orleans office as special counsel. Willenzik practices in the firm’s Business & Commercial Transactions and Banking & Financial Institutions practices. His practice focuses on commercial finance, including consumer finance, project finance, and asset based lending.

Willenzik is a retired partner of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC, and served as chair of the firm’s Business Law practice and was a member of the firm’s Policy Committee. While with McGlinchey, he founded the firm’s National Banking & Financial Services Practice Group.

In addition, Willenzik served as outside general counsel to The Receivables Exchange, the owner and operator of an electronic exchange over which pre-qualified small to mid-sized businesses sell business-to-business accounts receivables to pre-qualified buyers on a competitive live auction basis. In addition to counseling the company on a wide range of legal issues, he drafted the company’s program agreements.

He participated in the development of the LASERPRO computerized loan documentation system used by more than 3000 banks across the nation and drafted a model loan participation agreement for the American Bankers Association, which continues to be used by banks throughout the U.S.

Willenzik received his juris doctor degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University where he was a member of the Louisiana Law Review and served on the Moot Court Board. He earned his bachelor of science degree from the College of Business at the University of Illinois. He is a member of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers (co-founder and past president), the American College of Consumer Financial Services Attorneys (founding fellow, regent and officer), and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (fellow). Willenzik is a recipient of the prestigious Homer Kripke Lifetime Achievement Award in Commercial Finance Law presented by the American College of Commercial Finance Attorneys.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base in highly regulated industries.