James Lawrence is an associate in the firm’s Phoenix office. He has a broad corporate practice with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. James has helped dozens of clients structure, negotiate, and close acquisitions and divestitures across a wide range of industries, such as manufacturing, technology, health care, agriculture, private equity, and food and entertainment. He also has experience in joint ventures, entity formation, financing, corporate restructuring, and commercial contracts.

Outside of work, James enjoys fly fishing, gardening, hunting, and traveling. Before becoming an attorney, James worked as a hotshot firefighter for the department of the interior.

• J.D., summa cum laude Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• B.A., Economics University of Nevada, Reno
• Order of the Coif
• John J. Ross Award for excellence in business law

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• CARES Act Compliance

• Represented the third largest manufacturer of antifreeze in the United States in a $100 million equity transaction.
• Represented pool supply manufacturing company in a sale of assets to a strategic buyer.
• Represented global produce fruit distributor in a sale of assets to a strategic buyer.
• Represented numerous other clients in M&A transactions, on both buy-side and sell-side.
• Represented New York based investment management software firm in a $50 million sale to a strategic buyer.
• Represented Arizona-based construction company in several asset acquisitions totaling in aggregate $200 million.
• Represented a multi-billion dollar public Japanese corporation in a $200 million equity acquisition of a Canadian public company and subsequent cross-border corporate reorganization.
• Represented an Arizona-based manufacturer of roof flashing and plastic weather-blocking products, in a $100 million equity sale to a private equity buyer.
• Represented several venture capital firms in financings and convertible debt investments.
• Represented several staffing companies in equity and asset sales totaling more than $300 million.
• Represented Phoenix-based software company in a $20 million preferred stock investment.
• Represented Arizona-based road safety services company in a $10 million equity sale.
• Represented several fire-safety services companies in equity and asset sales to a single private equity buyer.
• Represented several insurance brokerages in asset and equity sales to various strategic buyers totaling more than $200 million.
• Represented residential home-builder in $50 million asset acquisition.
• Represented numerous other clients in M&A transactions, on both buy-side and sell-side.

• Co-author, “SBA Provides Much-Needed Safe-Harbor for PPP Loans Under $2 Million,” Fennemore Client Alert, May 15, 2020
• Speaker, “What You Need to Know About The CARES Act,” The Catholic Community Foundation Professional Advisory Board, May 7, 2020
• Co-author, “The Small Business Association Tightens Loophole that Allowed Public Companies to Receive CARES Act Funding,” Fennemore Client Alert, April 24, 2020
• Co-author, “The Pull of Delaware: How Judges Have Undermined Nevada’s Efforts to Develop its Own Corporate Law,” Nevada Law Journal, 20 Nev. L.J. 401, April 2020
• Co-author, “The Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program,” Fennemore Client Alert, April 21, 2020
• Speaker, “The CARES Act – What You Need to Know Now,” Arizona Nonprofits, April 2, 2020
• Co-author, “IRS and the Arizona Department of Revenue Extend Tax Filing Deadlines to July 15,” Fennemore Client Alert, March 26, 2020

• Arizona