Joel Cook became a principal of Aldrich & Bonnefin,PLC* in January 2018, having joined the firm as an associate in 2011. Mr. Cook manages the firm’s Corporate Practice Group, specializing in corporate and commercial lending matters.

Mr. Cook regularly advises financial institutions and their boards of directors on corporate governance issues, securities, insider and affiliate transactions, bank powers and other regulatory matters.

He also advises on commercial lending matters, including with regard to commercial and industrial loans, real estate loans, loan participations, loan workouts and letters of credit, and the various related bank regulatory matters (such as lending limit requirements, Customer Identification Programs, and real estate appraisals). Mr. Cook also often works with financial institutions on new products (such as those involving virtual currencies), and reviews and drafts contracts.

Mr. Cook graduated from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles in May 2011. While at Loyola, he was the Chief Research Editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review and a member of the journal’s executive board. He also completed an externship at the California Department of Real Estate. He received his bachelor’s degree from California State University of Fullerton, College of Business and Economics in 2007.

Prior to law school, Mr. Cook worked as a banker with Bank of America from 1998 to 2007. During his tenure at the bank, he became familiar with the many banking services and products in the industry. Towards the end of his banking career, he was an Assistant Vice President in operations analysis and had extensive dealings with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He also lived abroad in London, United Kingdom.

Mr. Cook is a member of the State Bar of California and the Orange County Bar Association. He led the OCBA’s Banking & Lending Section as its Chair for 2018, having previously served as its Vice- Chair and Treasurer.

Mr. Cook is an Orange County native and presently lives in Costa Mesa, California with his family.