Bio

James Whitney believes that fostering and maintaining strong relationships with clients, and in some cases their counter-parties, can be critical to the parties’ ability to realize their strategic and operational goals. Jim’s dual focus on corporate and securities and real estate matters allows him to bring a unique perspective to both and positions him well to provide business-focused solutions to his real estate clients. Jim is the Chair of BFKN’s Corporate & Securities Group. While Jim’s primary focus is in mergers and acquisitions, he is often relied upon by his clients, some of whom he has represented for nearly 20 years, to provide advice on more general legal matters that may arise between transactions. Jim has assisted his clients with general corporate and formation matters, negotiation and implementation of partnership and joint venture relationships, securities reporting, public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, and general corporate contracting. Jim also serves in a general counsel capacity for a number of his clients and is often the first point of contact regarding any of their legal issues. Jim’s flexibility and ability to pivot and adapt was put to the test a decade ago, when a pair of his corporate clients operating in the real estate industry asked Jim to expand his role and assist with their traditional real estate transactions. In the years since, Jim has focused approximately half of his time on real estate matters. Jim has assisted his clients, primarily owners and landlords of industrial, senior housing and cannabis facilities, with the acquisition and disposition of real property, the negotiation of leases and other management or operating arrangements, the formation and implementation of joint venture and other partnerships, and navigation of REIT rules and restrictions.