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  • Strategic planning & development
  • Formation & acquisition
  • Regulatory relationships
  • Corporate governance & board responsibilities
  • Compensation & other employee benefits
  • Compliance
  • Geographic expansion & mergers
  • Product expansion
  • Third-party vendor relationships
  • Capital creation
  • Structural changes & Subchapter S elections
  • Corporate challenges
  • Exit strategies
  • Proactive involvement
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  • Patrick J. Kennedy, Jr.
  • Bruce E. Toppin, III
  • William Sutherland, VI
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Our Firm

Kennedy, Toppin & Sutherland, LLP, located in San Antonio, Texas, provides high quality legal services to banks and other financial institutions, as well as their investors, directors and officers.

In 1987, Patrick J. Kennedy, Jr. left a large national law firm, believing that efficient and effective legal services to community banks could be accomplished better through a highly focused, boutique law firm that valued community banks as clients. From the beginning, the Firm was able to concentrate its expertise on issues that community banks commonly face, and through careful hiring practices, has been able to attract highly qualified lawyers with the expertise and skills required to represent community banks. The firm has been able to avoid duplicative work that often plagues large, diversified law firms, where the use of three or four attorneys to work on the same matter is commonplace.

Mr. Kennedy, the founder of the Firm, is pleased to welcome his associates, Bruce E. Toppin, III and William "Dub" Sutherland, VI, as partners of the Firm effective January 1, 2010. Both have been actively involved in various aspects of the banking industry for many years.

The Firm's practice will continue to focus on the needs of the banking industry, having been active participants in the industry on the state and national level from the legal, structural, legislative, regulatory, financial and strategic perspectives for over 30 years.

We are uniquely dedicated to community banks and have developed a special expertise and passion for the community banking industry and its positive effect on the lives of so many people and communities, small and large, throughout the United States. We strive to facilitate the success of our clients by providing practical, sound advice based on our deep understanding of the businesses of our clients and our commitment to efficient and effective problem-solving. We also identify business opportunities for our clients that can lead to profitable expansion of their businesses.

By limiting our practice to industries in which we have a substantial understanding of the business and legal aspects, we have the focus and expertise necessary to help contribute to the success of our clients.