James R. Cambridge

Biography

Jim has considerable experience in business law, finance, and real estate. Businesses of all kinds rely on his experience, judgment, diligence, and ability to resolve the many challenges they often face.

His clients have included private and public companies in the manufacturing, finance, real estate, retail, service, technology and transportation industries. Jim’s clients have also included professional athletes, corporate CEOs and other high net worth individuals. Jim serves as counsel for a number of businesses and handles a variety of matters such as business formations, contracts, employment, lending relationships, restructurings, real estate (including leasing, and the buying, selling and development of real estate), resolving troubled business situations and buying and selling businesses. Jim has considerable experience in advising closely-held businesses. 

Jim is a past Chairperson of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan and also served as the Chairman of the Legislative Drafting Committee of business and tax lawyers that wrote the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act.

He is frequently honored for legal excellence by his clients and other attorneys. Jim is a Fellow in the Michigan State Bar Foundation and received the Outstanding Business Lawyer Award from the State Bar of Michigan’s Business Law Section. He is consistently listed in Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business; Who’s Who in American Law; and The Best Lawyers in America^®. Jim is noted as a “Michigan Super Lawyer” and being among the “Top 100 Lawyers in Michigan.” Jim has also been named among “Detroit’s Best Lawyers” by Thomson Reuters, and is rated a “Top Lawyer” by DBusiness Magazine. He has also been named a “Leader in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly and 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Corporate Law in Detroit by The Best Lawyers in America^®. Jim is also listed among the top twenty “Go To Business Lawyers” in Michigan by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. He has achieved preeminent AV ranking from Martindale Hubbell, reflecting the highest standards of legal ability, professional ethics and integrity.

A respected attorney and author, Jim lectures and publishes regularly on business law and planning. He has written numerous articles and books, including the highly regarded Michigan Limited Liability Companies. Jim is also a contributing author to Advising Closely Held Businesses in Michigan.

Representative Matters

• Multiple acquisitions and sales of companies of various sizes, in various industries
• Formed multiple US subsidiaries of various Chinese enterprises
• Formed multiple joint ventures in US, China and Mexico
• Multiple acquisitions and dispositions of property
• Advised several early-stage and late-stage start-ups during various rounds of funding and growth
• Successfully managed multi-million dollar property tax settlement
• Managed several complex litigation cases to successful conclusion
• Successfully negotiated resolution of several shareholder disputes
• Structured various complex business transactions and contracts