James A. McDaniel

Jim McDaniel is one of the leading members of the corporate bar in Massachusetts and has more than 35 years of experience in corporate finance, securities law and corporate governance.

He is one of the most experienced utility finance lawyers in the country, with particular expertise in capital market transactions for electric and gas utilities, having represented both issuers and underwriters in transactions involving many billions of dollars of securities offerings. He has also been a trusted advisor to public companies and banks on general corporate law, securities law compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

He has been actively involved with non-profit organizations throughout his career and has served on charitable boards for over 30 years.

His expertise has been acknowledged by listings in Best Lawyers in America, Massachusetts Super Lawyers, Chambers USA and Who’s Who in American Law.

Recognition

  • Best Lawyers in America (2023)
  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers

Practice Focus

Public Companies: public and private offerings of equity, debt and hybrid securities, advising public companies and boards of directors on federal securities law compliance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, corporate restructurings and general corporate law issues.

Energy & Utilities: capital markets transactions, involving both equity and debt, representation of underwriting syndicates in public and private offerings of securities, securities law compliance, secured and unsecured credit facilities, asset divestitures and restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions.

Representative Engagements

  • Advise NYSE and NASDAQ listed public companies in securities law compliance and corporate governance issues.
  • Represented syndicate of investment banks in three simultaneous public debt offerings by utility holding company totaling $1.25 billion in securities.
  • Represented Canadian utility holding company in connection with $1.6 billion bridge facility to finance company’s acquisition of a U.S. utility.
  • Represented electric and gas utility in private placement of $750 million of senior notes to 97 institutional investors.
  • Represented underwriters in two simultaneous public offerings by a utility holding company of $300 million of unsecured debt and by its electric utility subsidiary of $300 million of first mortgage bonds.
  • Represented agent for syndicate of banks and syndicate of insurance companies in connection with $1.4 billion revolving credit and term loan credit facilities established by NHL US Funding, LLC for eleven National Hockey League Clubs.
  • Represented agent for syndicate of banks and syndicate of insurance companies in connection with $2 billion revolving credit and term credit facilities established by Office of the Commissioner of Baseball for twenty-one Major League Baseball Clubs.
  • Represented affiliated utilities in creation of second mortgage indentures and subsequent issuance of over $5.8 billion of securities in Rule 144A and registered offerings and as collateral for other financings.
  • Represented Massachusetts-based bank holding company in multiple acquisitions of Massachusetts banks or bank holding companies. 

Professional and Community Involvement

Jim is a Fellow of the American College of Investment Counsel, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the Boston Bar Foundation and a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals (Securities Law Committee), the American Bar Association (Business Law Section and Section on Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law), the Boston Bar Association (past Chairman of the Business Law Section), the New York City Bar Association and the Law Firm Advisory Board of the ABA-sponsored Working Group on Legal Opinions. He has served as a member of the Boston Bar Association’s Task Force on Multi-Disciplinary Practice and its Task Force on Corporate Governance. He has also served as a lecturer for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and the Boston Bar Association.

Jim actively participates in his community, serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of HopeWell Inc. (formerly Dare Family Services), a social service agency providing specialized and therapeutic foster care services to abused and neglected children, member (and past Chairman) of the Board of Advisors of MassGeneral Hospital for Children and as past Warden and member of the Vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Weston, Massachusetts.

Education & Credentials

Harvard Law School
JD, 1978
Stanford University
AB, 1975

Admissions

Massachusetts

New York

U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit

U.S. District Court, Massachusetts

James's Insights