James S. Lawlor

Jim serves as counsel to banks and private lenders, including agent banks, in the negotiation and documentation of commercial loan transactions, including senior and subordinated, secured and unsecured, bilateral and syndicated credit facilities. One area of recent focus is music and royalty-based financing transactions, on behalf of private lenders, catalogue entities and individual artists. Another area of particular focus has been fund finance, where Jim is a senior member of the Firm’s global fund finance team, representing lenders and borrowers alike in subscription lines and NAV facilities, both in the US and internationally. He also notably represented the fund-based lender in a groundbreaking transaction providing financing to participants in the New York social equity cannabis program.

Jim also retains aspects of a traditional commercial finance practice, including representation of lenders and borrowers in bank led loan facilities, with particular depth in defense industries and healthcare. He also has a public finance practice in which he represents borrowers and underwriters in tax-exempt and taxable bond transactions, including privately placed and publicly offered bond sales. These transactions include economic development bonds, as well as transactions for higher education and healthcare nonprofits.

Jim is admired by clients, colleagues and adversaries alike for his easy manner, good humor and strong communication and collaboration skills. He checks his ego at the door and rolls up his sleeves to get deals done. Cool headed and fair minded, when deals get contentious, Jim defuses difficult situations with humor and insight.