Lawless, Jr.

Jim is a member of the Business Services and Health Law practice groups, where he has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, business and commercial transactions, joint ventures and strategic collaborations, corporate law, and business planning and operations. Jim has over 30 years of experience representing public and private companies from start-ups to Fortune 500s. 

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Health Law

Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Healthcare

Jim is a member of the Business Services and Health Law practice groups, where he has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, business and commercial transactions, joint ventures and strategic collaborations, corporate law, and business planning and operations. Jim has over 30 years of experience representing public and private companies from start-ups to Fortune 500s.

Jim has significant experience in middle market mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. Industry experience includes pharmaceutical and life sciences, environmental services, internet and technology, financial services, health care, health insurance subrogation, retail marine, electrical services contracting, retail food and drug stores, cement, chemicals, aerospace, and plastic and metal closures. Representative transactions include the acquisition by OneWater Marine Inc. (NASDAQ: ONEW), a premium marine retailer, of Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCBI), a leading supplier and distributor of appearance, cleaning, and maintenance products for the marine industry, in a $125 million all-cash deal, the sale of a privately held health insurance subrogation and benefits recovery company to a private equity-sponsored buyer for cash and stock ($300+ million), the sale of a privately held clinical research company to a private equity-sponsored buyer for cash and stock ($300+ million), the sale of an infrastructure and utility operations and maintenance company to a private equity-sponsored buyer ($300+ million), the sale of Lee Electrical Construction, LLC< a privately held electrical services contracting company, to Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) for cash and stock ($140+ million), the sale of a privately held technology company supporting mortgage and financial services industry (complex public company style deal with cash consideration of $400+ million), the sale of Spread Networks, a privately owned telecommunications provider that operated a high fiber long haul route connecting New York and Chicago) to Zayo Group Holdings (NYSE: ZAYO) for $127 million in cash, and the sale of an aerospace/aircraft leasing business to a private equity-sponsored buyer (transaction value in excess of $200 million)

He is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in mergers and acquisitions. He was also named a “Client Service All Star” by BTI. Jim obtained his J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law, summa cum laude, and is admitted to the Pennsylvania and District of Columbia Bars.

• 30+ years’ experience representing public and private companies and businesses of various sizes and stages of development, from start-up to Fortune 500, and the complex legal and business issues confronting such companies and businesses.
• Managed and negotiated broad range of major, sophisticated transactions for clients, including mergers and acquisitions (asset and stock sales and purchases and public company mergers and acquisitions), joint ventures, private placements, financings, licensing, co-marketing and co-promotion agreements, and strategic collaborations.
• Significant experience representing clients in pharmaceutical, life sciences, medical device, biotechnology, financial services, marine retail, health insurance subrogation and benefits recovery, internet and technology, aerospace, retail food and drug stores, cement, chemicals, food science, plastic and metal closures, packaging, healthcare, telecommunications, and electrical services contracting.
• Represented leading industry clients in formation of joint ventures, licensing and development agreements and co-development agreements for branded and generic pharmaceutical products and healthcare services.
• Significant recent experience in middle market mergers and acquisitions includes the acquisition by OneWater Marine Inc. (NASDAQ: ONEW), a premium marine retailer, of Ocean Bio-Chem, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCBI), a leading supplier and distributor of appearance, cleaning, and maintenance products for the marine industry, in a $125 million all-cash deal, the sale of a privately held health insurance subrogation and benefits recovery company to a private equity-sponsored buyer for cash and stock ($300+ million), the sale of a privately held clinical research company to a private equity sponsor for cash and stock ($300+ million), the sale of an infrastructure and utility operations and maintenance company, to a private equity-backed company ($300+ million), and the sale of a privately held electrical services contracting company to a public company for cash and stock ($140+ million). 

• Martindale-Hubbell®
  • AV®-Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated
• Best Lawyers in America®
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2015-2023
• BTI Client Service All Star

• Pennsylvania, 1987
• District of Columbia, 2020

• American University, J.D., summa cum laude, 1987
  • Gillett Prize (highest scholastic average in class)
  • Senior Note and Comment Editor, American University Law Review, 1986-87
• Pennsylvania State University, B.S., Marketing, with distinction, 1983

• American Bar Association