James S. Lawlor

Counsel

Philadelphia

"James Lawlor maintains an excellent reputation for his knowledge in complex financial matters. "

Chambers USA

"His key strength is his breadth of legal knowledge."

Chambers USA, Banking & Finance client

Jim is a member of the Financial Industry Group, maintaining a global financing practice with a focus on bespoke transactions in specialized lending markets, including fund finance, music royalty, cannabis, healthcare and economic development, mainly for private lenders or specialty groups within banks. He has extensive and invaluable experience with respect to all manner of complex and nuanced financing structures, as well as a depth of knowledge, judgment and acumen with technical, esoteric and knotty legal issues that arise in the transactional finance practice.

Experience

Representative matters

Represented major international recording artist and producer in $93,500,000 royalty-based financing with a leading bank.
Counsel to non-bank lender as agent and lead lender in $80,000,000 financing to entity holding rights to all compositions and royalty streams of deceased recording artist.
Represented a fund-based lead lender in a catalogue acquisition finance facility for catalogue holding entity affiliated with a family of major international recording artists.

Recognitions

  • Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Banking and Finance Law, 2013-2025. He also received the Best Lawyers™ 2018 Banking and Finance Law "Lawyer of the Year" award in Philadelphia.
  • Ranked in Chambers USA for Pennsylvania: Philadelphia & Surrounds Banking & Finance, 2012-2025
  • Martindale-Hubbell® peer review rating of AV® preeminent™.

Credentials

Education

  • Villanova University School of Law, 1987, J.D., cum laude, Member of the editorial board of the Villanova Law Review, Elected to the Order of the Coif
  • Cabrini College, 1982, B.A., English and Communications, magna cum laude

Professional admissions & qualifications

  • Pennsylvania