Bio

James Jerue is a partner in HMB’s Business and Finance Group. He focuses his practice on start-up and early stage financings, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiation and providing counsel to company executives and their boards of directors. Jim represents businesses from their beginnings through initial financing, growth initiatives, subsequent financing and ultimate liquidity. While a large portion of Jim’s practice is centered in the technology space, Jim also represents entrepreneurs who seek to purchase, operate and grow established businesses in areas such as marketing, packaging, manufacturing and distribution. Jim also provides general counsel services related to business transition, employment issues, partnership and LLC agreements and securities matters. Jim’s general counsel clients include professional service firms, health care providers and payors, retailers and outsourced business service providers. A presence in Chicago’s start-up community, Jim leads HMB’s relationship with and sponsorship of Hyde Park Angels, the most active angel investment organization in the Midwest. He serves as a mentor at the Food Foundry, a food start-up accelerator housed at Chicago’s Tech & Entrepreneurship Center, has advised at the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and has served as a mentor at the business accelerator Techstars Chicago.