Alson James McKenna

Partner Rochester, New York City

An innovative transactional lawyer with over a decade of experience representing financial institutions, businesses and individuals in complex secured transactions.

From syndicated middle-market loans with values up to $150 million—taxable and tax-exempt bond purchases—to small business loans under the SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs with values ranging from $250,000 up to $5,000,000 or more, Alson is known for his diligent and pragmatic approach to representing national lending institutions, regional community banks, credit unions, borrowers, and issuers with structuring and documenting financing for mergers and acquisitions, commercial real estate and project development, and operations capitalization.

Alson has significant experience counseling clients on myriad complex collateral and documentation issues, including, but not limited to, leasehold mortgages and construction loans, as well as the pledge of cryptocurrency and bitcoin assets as collateral.

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Honors & Awards

  • Named Upstate New York Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2021-2023
  • Named to Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®
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Education & Admissions

Education
  • The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2011
  • State University of New York at Binghamton, B.A., 2006
Admitted to Practice
  • New York

Experience

Representative Matters
  • Represented an international financial institution as lead agent in a $150 million syndicated facility to replace existing bilateral facilities.
  • Represented a national bank with a construction loan under the SBA 504 program secured by two mortgages on a parcel of real property ground leased from the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey.
  • Represented a large financial institution in connection with its portfolio of commercial mortgage loans to auto dealerships throughout the State of New York.
  • Represented a national bank with its nationwide portfolio of SBA 7(a) loans.
  • Represented a real estate development company with a multimillion dollar construction loan to build a new self-storage facility.
  • Represented a community bank in connection with infrastructure development loans for subdivision projects.
  • Represented a large community bank in connection with a $25 million asset-based lending facility and two related mortgage loans with an aggressive timeline that was closed within two weeks of credit approval.
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Speaking Engagements

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  • Presenter, “SBA Loans: Financial Assistance in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Phillips Lytle Banking & Financial Webinar, April 2020
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Activities & Professional Associations

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association
    • Business Law Section
    • Law Practice Division
  • Monroe County Bar Association
    • Business Law Section
    • Real Estate Section
  • National Association of Bond Lawyers
  • New York State Bar Association
    • Business Law Section
    • Real Property Law Section

Articles & Publications

Articles

  • Co-Author, “Long-Awaited Changes to the SBA 7(a) Loan Program for Change of Ownership Financing Now in Effect,” Rochester Business Journal, May 2023