Law firm McCarter & English, LLP is pleased to announce that James F. Coffey has joined the firm’s Boston office as a partner in the corporate, securities and financial institutions practice, concentrating on the expansion of McCarter’s emerging companies capabilities. Coffey has extensive experience providing strategic counsel to companies in critical phases of transition, including start-ups or early stage development companies seeking angel funding as well as fully mature businesses seeking insight on exit strategies.
“Jim’s welcome decision to join us will help validate the outstanding synergies between our corporate emerging companies capabilities and our preeminent intellectual property attorneys, particularly in their life sciences representation,” said Howard Kailes, Practice Group Leader of McCarter’s corporate, securities and financial institutions practice. “Our emerging companies practice has developed as a wonderful complement to our long-standing activity in venture capital and private equity, mergers and acquisitions, debt finance and securities law matters.”
Coffey joins McCarter after the recent additions in June of international finance partner David L. Woronov to the Boston office and private equity authority Joseph W. Bartlett to the New York office.
“I have been an admirer of the work McCarter has done and of its recent dynamic growth in its Boston office,” said Coffey. “The firm offers strong regional, national and international platforms that will allow me to continue building my practice working with new, growing and developed companies seeking direction in their business practices. Also, the opportunity to work again with my former law partner Thomas Curran and former law professor Joe Bartlett, among so many other talented practitioners, is very exciting.”
Coffey represents emerging companies in several business sectors. Some of his early stage development clients include companies in social networking, carbon credit technology, alternative energy, information technology, e-commerce, life sciences and consumer products, among others.
His corporate practice focuses on complex transactional and general business matters for both public and private companies, including partnerships and strategic alliances; mergers and acquisitions; and venture capital and angel financing. In this area Coffey represents many technology-based businesses concentrating in the life sciences.
“We are pleased that Jim has decided to join the firm’s growing corporate, securities and financial institutions practice,” said firm Managing Partner Stephen M. Vajtay, Jr. “His diverse corporate experience and particular focus on the emerging companies space is a welcome addition to the firm.”
In addition, Coffey is an active member of the Boston Harbor Angels (BHA), one of New England’s largest and most active angel investor groups. He is also a member of the Association for Corporate Growth and has served on the Massachusetts Advisory Board of the New England Legal Foundation. Coffey is an active member of the Boston Bar Association (BBA), where he served as co-chair of the BBA’s Solo & Small Law Firm Section, and the BBA’s Business Law Section Pro Bono Committee. He has also served as a frequent lecturer for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE), National Business Institute and the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Coffey also has turnaround experience, having served as lead counsel in numerous corporate reorganizations, bankruptcies, workouts, receiverships, assignments for the benefit of creditors, distressed asset sales, and other complex corporate restructurings.
In local politics, Coffey was a former candidate for the Massachusetts State Senate. He was appointed by former Governor Mitt Romney to the Massachusetts Public Education Nominating Council, and served as general counsel to the Massachusetts Republican Party.
A member of the Boston, Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations, Coffey earned his LL.M from New York University School of Law, his J.D. from the New England School of Law and his B.A., cum laude, from Providence College. He serves as an adjunct professor of law at the New England School of Law and is a member of the President’s Council at Providence College.
