James R. Whitney
Partner, Attorney at Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP
About
James R. Whitney, Partner, chairs the Corporate & Securities Group at Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP in Chicago. A decade ago, a pair of corporate clients in real estate asked him to take on their deals, and he now gives about half his time to purchases, sales, and joint ventures for cannabis, senior housing, and industrial owners. Mergers and acquisitions remain his primary focus, for clients he has represented for as long as nearly 20 years. He earned a J.D. from University of Michigan Law School in 2002 and a B.A. from Ohio State University in 1999. Chambers USA lists him as Band Ranked in Corporate/M&A for 2025-2026. He also handles public offerings, corporate contracts, REIT rules and restrictions, formations, securities reporting, and private placements of debt and equity, alongside the mergers and acquisitions he leads.
Who is a good fit for James R. Whitney
- Business owners planning a merger or an acquisition.
- Companies that want one lawyer for their mergers and acquisitions and for general legal questions between deals.
Education and admissions
- Education
- University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 2002
- Ohio State University, B.A., 1999
- Bar admissions
- Illinois
Recognition
- Band Ranked, Chambers USA (2025-2026), Corporate/M&A
Specialties
Representative matters
As described on the firm’s website.
- Served as primary counsel to NYSE-listed industrial REIT with respect to several public offerings utilizing diverse structures, including a 12.5 million share of common stock ($65.6 million) firm commitment underwriting ($65,600,000)
Deal profile
- Typical deal size
- Any deal size
- Remote work
- In-person / regional