James A. Alexander Jr.

James Alexander is an associate in the Business Law department and a member of the Private Equity group at Goodwin. He started at the firm in January of 2022. James concentrates his legal practice on representing private equity clients in mergers & acquisitions, private equity investments, and other corporate matters in a broad range of industries.

In addition to his billable work, James is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Found Stages, Inc., a non-profit immersive theater company, and Executive Secretary on the Board of Directors for ArtsATL, the premier publication for the arts in Atlanta.

James’s application to the Washington, DC bar is pending, he is working under the supervision of the partners at Goodwin.

Prior to joining Goodwin, James closed $4.75B+ in transactions during his time with Alston & Bird LLP. He focused his practice in the financial services industry on a broad range of matters, including bank mergers & acquisitions, fintech mergers & acquisitions, payment processing agreements, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and public SEC filings such as 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and S-4 filings.

Prior to joining Goodwin, James specialized mergers and acquisitions, fintech, and corporate governance law in the Financial Services & Products industry. James spent time working with the legal department of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, the DOJ via the US Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Ohio, and the 9th District Coast Guard Legal Department, where he honed his skills and sharpened his legal acumen.

While attending law school, James was a Judge on the Appellate Review Board for the university, an Associate Justice on the Moot Court Board, a coveted member of the Hyatt Review Board, President of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA), and a legal writing TA.

James is active in the National Bar Association, Commercial Law Section, as well as the American Bar Association.

James has been selected for the 2023 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for both “Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law” and “Mergers and Acquisitions Law” as well as having been recognized with the National Black Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 honor for four consecutive years – 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. James’s work on the REPAY-CPS Payment Services deal was short-listed by The Deal Awards for FinTech (Middle Market). He was also named to the Lawyers of Color 2020 Hot List.

James earned his JD/MDiv dual degree from Vanderbilt University in 2018, graduating as a Branstetter Fellow in the law school and a Cal Turner Fellow in the divinity school. The divinity school awarded him the John Olin Knott Award for scholarly writing.

James has frequently served as a panelist for the Charting Your Own Course Conference and its First-Year Top Performer Academy.

James’s recent speaking engagements include:

• Panel, “What it Means to Own Your Work,” Charting Your Own Course Conference, April 30, 2021