Edward E. Gainor
August 3, 1954 ~ July 23, 2011
Ed Gainor, 56, of Great Falls, Va., a nationally esteemed finance and capital markets lawyer and author, died July 23rd at Reston Hospital Center. Ed was a devoted husband and respected colleague. Ed practiced securities law as a partner with the firm Bingham McCutchen LLP. Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business called him a leading practitioner in the field of securitization in March, 2011. Ed co-authored Offerings ofAsset-Backed Securities, with colleague John Arnholz. He was a frequent speaker at industry conferences. Born in Baltimore, MD., Ed was an academic star from an early age, earning a full scholarship to Mt. St. Joseph High School. After scoring a perfect 1, 600 on the SAT test, he attended Loyola College, graduating in 1976 with a BA in English. Ed began his career in journalism, starting in newspapers and then switching to broadcast. In 1986, he took the LSAT, scoring among the top in the nation. He started at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI., transferring after his first year to George Washington Law. He was a senior editor of the George Washington Law Review. Ed joined the firm of Brown and Wood in 1990, working in securities law and eventually became partner. His 6'3" frame made his body nearly as imposing as his brain and he liked it that way. Ed set an incredible standard that would make summer associates and young lawyers wilt, yet he was always more demanding of himself than anyone else. He had one standard-excellence. Anything else wasn't worth doing. Ed and Arnholz moved much of their group to McKee Nelson in 2001. It was the kind of challenge to build a business that Ed adored. Their group became one of the dominant finance practices in the nation. In 2009, McKee Nelson merged with Bingham McCutchen. Ed embraced the new opportunity, throwing himself at many regulatory changes, including the Dodd-Frank legislation, with a passion. Ed was just as hard-charging in his private life as he was at work. Everything he ever did, he did trying to make it the best possible. He was an avid sports fan and once said there are two seasons: "baseball and waiting." As he got older, he also grew to be a huge football fan and never stopped loving the Baltimore Colts. Ed was a voracious reader, dog lover and Bruce Springsteen fan. Survivors include his wife of 23 years, Laurel, his parents, Eugene and Margaret Frances, brothers Dan and Tom, Tom's wife Dia and their four daughters. Interment is private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) in Fairfax Station, Va.
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
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I’ll never forget you Ed. “When you built you brother, they broke the mold.” Da’ Kid
Tom, Dia, Dan, and family, I’m very sorry to hear of Ed’s passing.
To the family of Ed Gainor: It is with much sadness that I read today of the passing of Ed. I met Ed at the firm of McKee Nelson and from that brief meeting I came away feeling he was a good man. He had an easy going spirit, but an extremely hard worker. He was a credit to his profession and he will be missed.
Ed helped me lighten up and gain a sense of humor, while at the same time thicken my skin. I will be grateful to him for that. Formerly at McKee Nelson, LLP
Ed: your passing has broken my heart. A man whose towering intellect was exceeded only by the ferocity of his loyalty as a friend, you were truly one in a million. The legal world will, appropriately, mourn your passing as a loss of incalculable magnitude. I mourn as a man whose life was permanently touched by your brilliance, your sense of humor, your philosphical depth, and your sense of honor. I am a better person for having known you, Ed Gainor, and I will treasure until the end of my days the memories of all the moments we shared. Rest in peace, my dear friend. Kevin
Dear Laurel and the whole Gainor family, I cannot express how much I miss Ed and all he meant to me. Ed and I first met in the early 90s. Despite the difference in professional stature Ed always treated me as both a colleague and a friend. He was certainly a superior legal mind but to me it was his down to earth attitude, his kindness, his warm personality, and his gentle nobility that truly made him unique and great. I will cherish the memories of our trip to Smithsonian, our lunches and even our phone conversations talking about the dogs and planning vacations more than I can possibly express here. I truly feel my future diminished by never being able to see him again but I will always treasure the memories of our time together and how he made my life better for being my friend. Yours with my deepest sympathies, Mark
We had better, we had worse, we had richer, we had poorer. We had sickness and we had health. But death does not part us. I will try to be a better me because of you.
My heart truly goes out to the Gainor family. Ed was one of the first people in the securitization world who took the time to listen and to teach me when I first started in the industry many years ago. We kept in touch over the years, though not enough. He was a wonderful, funny, brilliant lawyer who was great to work with and an overall outstanding person. I will miss him. Hedi Katz