James J. Holman

Partner

  • James J. Holman
  • Phone: +1 215 979 1530

    James J. Holman - LinkedIn Import to Address Book

  • Duane Morris LLP
    30 South 17th Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19103-4196
    USA
  • Duane Morris LLP
    1201 North Market St, Suite 501
    Wilmington, DE 19801
    USA

James J. Holman practices in the areas of commercial finance law, business reorganization, and business and municipal insolvency. He represents institutional lenders, trust companies, insurance companies and businesses in a broad spectrum of transactions, including corporate finance, business restructuring and bankruptcy.

Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and New York, he is a member of the American Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, the Commercial Finance Network, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Mr. Holman was hiring partner for the firm from 2001 through 2006.

He is listed annually by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, by Best Lawyers in America, and by the London organization Citywealth as a leading lawyer in the United States.

Mr. Holman is a 1989 graduate of Villanova University School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Villanova Law Review, and a summa cum laude graduate of DeSales University.

The listing of areas of practice in the foregoing profile does not represent official certification as a specialist in those areas.

Representative Matters

  • Represented a national bank lender as Administrative Agent, Collateral Agent, Lead Arranger, and Sole Bookrunner in an $85 million syndicated lending facility to one of the mid-Atlantic’s largest contracting and construction companies and its affiliates.

  • Represent Principal Life Insurance Company, as secured lender in restructuring of shopping mall loan facilities in chapter 11 proceedings of General Growth Properties (SDNY).

  • Represent major secured creditor as Administrative Agent and DIP Lender in bankruptcy proceedings of Revel, Inc.

  • Represent major secured creditor in negotiation, documentation, and implementation of asset based lending facilities extended to nationwide retail chain.

  • Represent major secured creditor in negotiation and documentation of credit facilities for national trucking and transportation group and its affiliates.

  • Represent major secured creditor in workout and restructuring matters associated with gaming and casino borrower.

Areas of Practice

  • Commercial Finance Law
  • Business Reorganization and Bankruptcy
  • Municipal Insolvency

Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • Delaware
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey

Education

  • Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, J.D., 1989
    - Managing Editor, Villanova Law Review
  • DeSales University, B.A., summa cum laude, 1986

Experience

  • Duane Morris LLP
    - Partner, 1999-present
    - Hiring Partner, 2001-2006
    - Associate, 1989-1998

Professional Activities

  • American Bar Association
  • Delaware State Bar Association
  • American Bankruptcy Institute
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners
  • Secured Finance Network Education Committee

Honors and Awards

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2013-2024

  • Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, 2010-2023

  • Rated as "Highly Regarded" for Restructuring by IFLR1000, 2019-2023

  • Named 2014 Volunteer of the Year, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
  • Listed in Citywealth Leaders List 2013– Leading Lawyers-International
  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®

Board Memberships

  • President, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
  • Advisory Board Member: Chester Children's Chorus 
  • Secured Finance Foundation

Civic and Charitable Activities

  • Board of Trustees, Chester Children's Chorus
  • Member, Kimmel Center Corporate Council
  • Mentor, University of Pennsylvania Law School International LLM Program

Selected Publications

  • Quoted in "U.S. Bankruptcy Tracker: Easy Money Delays 'Great Reckoning,'" Bloomberg Law, February 9, 2021
  • Quoted in "DIP Lenders' Strings May Pose Concerns for Creditors," WWD, May 13, 2020
  • Quoted in "Parsing Absolute Priority," The Deal, September 29, 2015
  • Author, "Commercial realities: to what extent can US commercial trust mitigate investor risks?," Trust Quarterly Review, June 2015
  • Author, "Strategies for Avoiding the Headache of Preference Liability," The Legal Intelligencer, April 17, 2013

Selected Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker and Panel Leader at annual "Risk and Recovery: Developments in Business Bankruptcy and Commercial Finance Law," Philadelphia.
  • Contributing Co-Author, Trusts in Prime Jurisdictions, Global Business Publishing Ltd. (Chapter on Delaware), 2010
  • Speaker, "Recent Trends in Business Bankruptcy Law Affecting Commercial Real Estate: Key Issues and Strategies for Weathering Extended Economic Uncertainty," presented to Principal Financial Group, August 17, 2011
  • Speaker, "U.S. Trusts and Companies in International Planning," Geneva, Switzerland, November 23-24, 2009
  • Speaker, "Annual Review of Developments Related to Recovery of Preferential Transfers Under Section 547 of the United States Bankruptcy Code," American Bar Association Business Law Section Spring Meetings
  • Speaker, "The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods: An Overview for Attorneys Representing U.S. Clients," CLE program sponsored by the American Corporate Counsel Association