Denise Zack is Co-Chair of VLP’s Commercial Lending Practice Group and a member of VLP’s Executive Committee. She specializes in representing banks, technology and life sciences lenders, mezzanine, SBIC and other lenders, as well as borrowers, in debt financings. Denise has over twenty-three years of experience handling commercial bank loans, venture and middle-market loans, unitranche and mezzanine debt transactions, acquisition financings, restructurings and intercreditor arrangements.
Denise’s practice focuses on structuring, documentation and negotiation of loan facilities, including credit agreements, security agreements, intercreditor and subordination agreements, participation agreement and other third-party agreements. She has developed particular knowledge of co-lending and multi-borrower structures, intercreditor arrangements and warrants. Denise has extensive experience advising on perfection issues relating to unique collateral types such as intellectual property, license agreements, equity securities, government contracts and healthcare receivables.
Denise has decades of experience representing financial institutions throughout the United States, including five of the most prominent banks in the venture lending industry.
Prior to joining VLP in 2010, Denise was a special counsel in Cooley LLP’s Credit Finance Group and received Cooley’s Pro Bono Achievement award. During her nine years at Cooley, she represented numerous banks and lenders, as well as many technology and life sciences borrowers. She has appeared on Business Focus, a cable show featuring participants in the NoVA business community, and was a panellist in a WAVE Women’s Association of Venture & Equity event. She also taught a Virginia CLE segment titled “Commercial Loan Basics for Business Lawyers”.
Before becoming a lawyer, Denise was a marketing manager at MBNA America Bank (now Bank of America).
Denise received her Juris Doctor from Duke Law School, where she was a Mordecai Scholar, and her MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, where she was a Bank of America Scholar. Denise received her Bachelor degree from UVA, where she double-majored in Economics and Anthropology. When not practicing law, Denise enjoys family time at the beach, gardening, and crocheting.
