Ms. Rentzel is responsible for overseeing all legal operations at First Foundation and its affiliates. As general counsel, she provides legal guidance to First Foundation, First Foundation Bank, and First Foundation Advisors on a wide variety of topics, including merger and acquisition activities, contractual relationships, compliance matters, policy implementation, and corporate governance. In her role as corporate secretary, she serves as a liaison to the Board of Directors of First Foundation and its affiliates, and handles various Board-related responsibilities.
Ms. Rentzel has extensive experience as an attorney in the financial services sector. She previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Texas Capital Bank, where she worked for nine years, starting as the bank’s first in-house lawyer before going on to build a full-service in-house legal team.
Previously, she worked as a litigator at Baker Botts LLP and as a staff attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Ms. Rentzel is an honors graduate of both Rice University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in English and Managerial Studies, and Southern Methodist University, where she received her Juris Doctorate. She is a past recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern Methodist University, a Presidential Citation from the Dallas Bar Association, and an Outstanding Public Service and Pro Bono Award from The Texas Lawbook and the Association of Corporate Counsel.
She currently serves on the Board of the Dallas Bar Association (the “DBA”) and is co-chair of the DBA’s Peer Assistance Committee. She is actively involved with the Southwest Association of Bank Counsel and is a past president of the organization.