Areas of Practice
Industries
Bar Admissions
- Michigan, 2004
Education
- University of Michigan, J.D., cum laude
- Dartmouth College, A.B., cum laude
Darrell W. Pierce focuses his practice in the areas of commercial and corporate finance law. He has earned a national reputation for handling sophisticated debt finance transactions, including structured finance transactions, securitization of financial assets and other significant secured transactions under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), including restructurings and workouts. Mr. Pierce is co-leader of the Firm's Lending Team and supervises its UCC Filing Team.
Mr. Pierce regularly represents lenders and their agents in connection with secured and unsecured loans, letters of credit and other bank products. He is familiar with the requirements for security interests in a wide variety of collateral, including collateral located abroad, and has extensive experience representing lenders and borrowers in connection with troubled credits. He works closely with Dykema bankruptcy attorneys to ensure a smooth transition and an appropriate outcome should a bankruptcy become necessary. He also represents leasing companies and issuers in public-finance transactions.
This experience enables Mr. Pierce to provide effective and efficient representation to issuers of debt and other sophisticated borrowers. As the leader of Dykema’s Structured Finance and Securitization practice, he is able to provide the requisite advice and legal opinions to limit recourse, address bankruptcy risks and support the issuance of asset-backed securities.
Mr. Pierce served as member of the Article 9 Study Committee for the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code, as Chair of the Article 9 Filing Project and as the primary drafter of the International Association of Commercial Administrators’ Model Administrative Rules for Article 9 filing offices. He is a frequent lecturer and writer regarding UCC matters.
Seminars & Speeches
- Secured Party v. Third Party, Dykema's 2018 Financial Industry Group Annual Meeting, Chicago, ILNovember 10, 2018
- What Lawyers Need to Know About UCC Article 9, Delivered each year since 2000, Practising Law Institute, New York, NY
- Article 9 Updates, Delivered semi-annually each year since 2007, Lorman Educational Services
- Revised Article 9—Towards Perfection in Filing, Uniform Commercial Code Institute, Chicago, IL1999-2003 and 2007
- Revised Article 9 of the UCC, and Business Boot Camp, Security Agreements, Security Interests and Understanding Priorities, Michigan Institute for Continuing Education, Troy, MI2001, 2004 and 2006
Publications
- May 1, 2019NextGen Financial Services Reporthttps://www.nextgenfinancialservicesreport.com/2019/05/the-extraordinary-rights-of-non-ordinary-course-buyers/
- April 2019American Bar Associationhttps://businesslawtoday.org/month-in-brief/april-brief-bankruptcy-finance-2019/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=april19_mib
- "Allonges: separate endorsements not effective unless affixed"August 20, 2014Association of Corporate Counsel
- "Secondary Market/Securitizations"Consumer Financial Services Answer Book 2012-13; 2020", Practising Law Institute
- " 'The Article 9 Filing System,' Secured Transactions 2012: What Lawyers Need to Know About UCC Article 9"2012Practising Law Institute
- "The Revised Article 9 Filing System: Did It Meet Its Objectives?"2011Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal, Vol. 44, No. 1
- "Secured Transactions"2005Illinois Law and Agribusiness, 2005 Supplement, Chapter 2, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education
- "Security Agreements, Perfecting Security Interests and Understanding Priorities"2004Michigan Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Chapter for Business Boot Camp Course Materials
- "A Practical Guide to the New UCC Filing System"2000Review of Banking & Financial Services, Vol.16 No.4 Standard & Poor's
- "Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code: Filing System Improvements and Their Rationale"1998Uniform Commercial Code Law Journal, Vol.31 No.1
News
- October 9, 2019
- November 7, 2014
- Renewable Energy Lender Solidifies National Prominence by Closing on Nine Solar Projects in Massachusetts for Clean Focus CorporationApril 8, 2014
- Examines Whether Existing Statements Establish Priority for Future Loan AdvancesMarch 14, 2013
- 90-Minute Event Scheduled for February 12 at 1pm ETJanuary 29, 2013
- Full-Day Tutorial Will Address: “What Lawyers Need to Know About UCC Article 9”December 18, 2012
Alerts
- January 31, 2017
- May 27, 2010
Memberships & Involvement
- American Law Institute, Member
- American Bar Association, ABA Filing Office Operations and Search Logic Task Force, Co-Chair
- State Bar of Michigan
- State Bar of Michigan, Uniform Commercial Code Committee, Chair
- Practising Law Institute, Faculty Member
Community/Civic Activities
- Director and Board President, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, 2005-2016
- Michigan Chamber Brass, Director, 2004-2007
- Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee, 2003-2008
- Evanston, Illinois, Cub Scout Pack 12, Den Leader and Pack Committee Member, 1995-2000
Awards & Recognition
Named an Illinois Leading Lawyer in the areas of Corporate Finance, Secured Transactions and Securities & Venture Finance by Leading Lawyers Network, 2011-2017. Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Named a Michigan Leading Lawyer in the areas of Corporate Finance and Securities & Venture Finance Law by the Leading Lawyers Network, 2014-2017. Law Bulletin Publishing Company
Recognized in Michigan Super Lawyers® for Banking, Business/Corporate, Securities & Corporate Finance, 2005-2006, 2008
Recipient of an AV® Preeminent™ Rating by Martindale-Hubbell