James Childs

James serves as Co-Chair of Maynard Nexsen’s Private Markets and Private Equity Practices and as Chair of the Firm’s Venture Capital & Emerging Growth Practice. In 2024, James was named to the Legal 500 Private Practice PowerList as one of the top M&A lawyers in the country. 

While James has worked with a broad range of clients operating in numerous industries, he focuses his practice in three primary areas - M&A, equity investments, and emerging growth companies. Specifically, he represents a high volume of private equity, venture capital, and other investment funds, strategic acquirers, and high-growth companies, and he has led hundreds of M&A and financing transactions. Focusing his practice in these areas allows him to gain in-depth knowledge and insight into his clients' businesses and the industries in which they operate. This approach provides James with up-to-date knowledge of current M&A and investment deal terms and trends, as well as the ability to make connections and bring strategic value to his clients.

In addition to his recognition in the Legal 500 Private Practice PowerList, James is consistently recognized for his legal acumen in these areas by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America©. Best Lawyers® recognized James as "Lawyer of the Year" in the region for multiple years for his work in Private Equity Law, Venture Capital Law, and Business Organizations.

Outside of his work with the Firm, James operated an accelerator that he founded for over ten years that equipped CEOs to lead their operating companies to the next level. James also leads or serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including those focused on cultivating innovation economies and entrepreneurial ecosystems. He served twice as the President of the Birmingham Venture Club, Co-Founder and Chairman of TechBirmingham, and Chairman of Innovation Depot. He currently serves on the boards of the foregoing institutions. James has also led key innovation and investment initiatives for numerous organizations.

Community & Professional

• Alabama Capital Network, Board of Advisors
• Biotechnology Association of Alabama, Executive Committee and Board of Directors
• Birmingham Venture Club, current President and Board of Directors
• Innovation Depot, Past Chairman; current Executive Committee and Board of Directors
• Rotary Club of Birmingham, member
• TechBirmingham, Founder and Past Chairman; current Board of Directors and Executive Committee member

Equity Investments

• Represented Franklin Templeton (San Mateo, CA) and its related venture capital funds Franklin Blackhorse, L.P. and Franklin Talos, L.P., its mutual funds, and its corporate affiliates in connection with more than 50 venture capital investments ranging from start-ups to late stage, pre-IPO companies, including as lead or co-lead investors in connection with:
  • The $250 million Series E financing of Gong.io Ltd., an Israeli based provider of AI driven revenue intelligence solutions
  • The $1 billion Series E financing of Celonis SE, a provider of process mining and execution management solutions based in Munich, Germany
  • The $1 billion Series G financing of Databricks, Inc., a provider of unified data analytics and data science and AI/machine learning platforms based in San Francisco, CA
  • The $100 million Series D financing of Newsela, a leading K-12 instructional content platform with 37 million registered students and 2.5 million registered teachers in 90% of all U.S. schools
  • The $40 million Series A financing, $50 million Series B financing, and $60 million Series C financing of Spoton Transact, Inc., a provider of payment processing solutions
  • The $175 million Series E financing of Hashicorp, Inc., a provider of cloud infrastructure automation solutions for operations, security, networking and application delivery
  • The $100 million Series F financing of Rent the Runway, Inc., a subscription fashion service
  • The $128 million Series D financing of Wheels Up Partners Holdings, LLC, a private aviation company
  • The $31 million Series B financing of Voyage Auto, Inc., an autonomous vehicle driving service
  • The $21 million Series A financing of Alto Solutions, Inc., a self-directed IRA platform for individuals to access and invest in alternative assets using their retirement funds
  • The $22.5 million Series B financing of CelLink, a provider of flexible circuitry to the automotive and other industries
  • The $115 million Series D financing of ClearMotion, a provider of a proactive rider/active suspension system for the automotive industry
• Represented Help Lightning, Inc., a provider of virtual expertise software for enterprises to improve the productivity of their field service and call center organizations, in connection with its $11 million Series A Preferred Stock financing by Resolve Growth Partners (Baltimore, MD), Engage (Atlanta, GA), and Larsen & Toubro (Mumbai, India), as well as its prior $4 million Series Seed financing.
• Represented CirculoGene Theranostics, Inc., a provider of a liquid biopsy cancer diagnostics, in connection with $50 million of Series A, Series B, Series C and convertible note financings.
• Represented 1 Vision Media, LLC, a provider of dual screen displays, associated hardware, engagement solutions, and packaged content for live event advertising and entertainment for high schools and community events, in connection with its Series A financing by 7/6 Partnership.
• Represented Atlas RFID, LLC, a provider of a SaaS solutions and services to the construction industry, in connection with its $10 million financing by Kayne Partners.
• Represented Medispend, a provider of Sunshine Act and other compliance and collaboration software solutions for pharmaceutical and medical device companies, in connection with its Series A and Series B rounds of financing by EDG Partners.
• Represented DAXKO, Inc., a provider of SaaS software and solutions to member-based companies and organizations, in connection with its $9 million Series A and Series B financings by Frontier Capital.

• Represented Murphree Venture Partners in connection with its Series B financing of Aldis, Inc., an Oak Ridge, TN-based company that provides traffic and energy management technology and related services; and its $15 million financing of Intrinergy, Inc., a provider of gasification technology and solutions based in Richmond, VA.
• Represented PetroBeam, Inc., a company developing a proprietary process to utilize electron beams to upgrade heavy oil and refine crude, in connection with its $5 million strategic financing by publicly traded Ion Beam Applications, s.a. (Belgium) and its $3.5 million equity round of funding.

M&A

• Represented Daxko, Inc. and its owner, private equity fund GI Partners, in connection with multiple acquisitions, including:
  • Motionsoft, a Rockville, MD based provider of member management software
  • PlayerSpace, a Wrightsville Beach, NC based provider of sports program management software
  • Uplaunch, provider of a CRM and marketing automation software based in Fairfield, PA
  • GroupEx PRO, a Denver, CO-based provider of software solutions to fitness instructors
  • Club Automation, a Chicago, IL-based provider of member management and payment software solutions
  • Affiliated Acceptance Corporation, a St. Louis, MO-based provider of payment processing solutions
  • Zen Planner, a Denver, CO-based provider of member management and payment software solutions

• Represented New York-based private equity fund Aperion Management in connection with its acquisitions of Inclusion Agency, LLC and Rewired Festival, LLC to form TI Solutions, Inc. d/b/a Trusted Influence, a product sourcing, brand activation and marketing agency that connects social media influencers of scale and entertainment brands with leading retailers to commercialize products and increase brand value.

• Represented Copysmith, a leading provider of AI-powered content creation and copywriting software that supports large marketing teams to create great content at scale, which is owned by Harmony Venture Labs (Shegun Otulana) and PSG, in connection with its acquisition of Rytr, an all-in-one writing assistant that works across the entire writing workflow.

• Represented Frontline Healthcare Partners, a healthcare focused private equity fund based in Charleston, SC, in connection with its:

  • Acquisition of LivWell Infusions, a provider of outpatient infusion and injection therapy for patients with complex chronic conditions with locations across Arizona, California, New Mexico, Indiana and Pennsylvania.
  • Acquisition of JoyBridge, a clinic-based ABA therapy provider focused on helping children with autism reach their brightest future with locations in Brentwood, Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro, and Hendersonville, TN.
  • Acquisition of Independence Behavior Solutions, an applied behavior analysis ("ABA") therapy company based in Savannah, Georgia with two locations in Richmond Hill and Hinesville, GA.
• Represented My Supply Chain Group, LLC, a provider of supply chain logistics and warehouse management solutions, in connection with its sale to itelligence, an international provider of SAP support solutions and subsidiary of NTT Data.
• Represented VeraSci, a global provider of specialty scientific expertise and eClinical software to support the design and execution of clinical trials focused on central nervous system (CNS) based in Research Triangle, NC, in connection with its sale to WCG Clinical, the world's leading provider of solutions that measurably improve the quality and efficiency of clinical research based in Princeton, NJ.
• Represented Avanti Polar Lipids, Inc., the leading provider of high purity lipids used in next generation therapeutics and vaccines and for R&D and drug delivery, in connection with its sale to UK-based Croda International, Plc (LSE: CRDA), a provider of high performance specialty chemicals.
• Represented Rural Urgent Care, LLC d/b/a MainStreet Family Care, a multi-location operator of urgent care clinics, and healthcare IT affiliate VirtualCare, LLC, in connection with their sale to private equity fund Trinity Hunt Partners based in Dallas, TX.
• Represented StrategyWise, a provider of AI, machine learning and data science solutions, in connection with its sale to E Source, a provider of data science solutions to the utilities sector based in Boulder, CO that is owned by PE fund Align Capital Partners.
• Represented The Collingwood Group, LLC, a Washington DC based advisory firm led by former leaders of FHA, HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, in connection with its sale to Situs Group, a provider of strategic business and technology solutions to the real estate financing sector and portfolio company of PE fund Stone Point Capital.
• Represented Deposits Online, LLC, the largest U.S. provider of bank deposit account information to consumers, in connection with its sale to LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE).
• Represented FlexOffers.com, Inc., an operator of a credit card affiliate network based in Miami, FL, in connection with its sale to Bankrate (NYSE: RATE).
• Represented Endure Medical, Inc., a provider of innovative surgical microscopes based in Atlanta, GA, in connection with its sale to Alcon Laboratories, Inc., an eye care company and subsidiary of Novartis International AG (NYSE: NVS) based in Dallas, TX.
• Represented Ningbo MedicalSystem Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Composite Index) in connection with its acquisition of the cardio metabolic assets, including the VAP cholesterol test, of Atherotech Diagnostics, Inc.
• Represented private equity fund Azalea Capital in connection with its leveraged buyout of KLMK Group, a provider of healthcare facility solutions to clients across the nation based in Richmond, VA, and its subsequent sale of KLMK to CBRE (NYSE: CBG).
• Represented Gabriella White, LLC, the parent company of Summer Classics, Gabby and Wendy Jane and designer and manufacturer of indoor and outdoor furniture and accessories, in connection with its acquisition of Stanford Furniture Company, a designer and manufacturer of custom furniture based in High Point, NC.
• Represented Plantation Patterns, a provider of outdoor soft home products, in connection with its sale to NBG-Home, a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, a private equity fund based in New York, NY.
• Represented Photonics Innovations, Inc., a provider of lasers and laser materials, in connection with its sale to IPG Photonics, Inc. (NASDAQ: IPGP), a leading provider of high-performance fiber lasers and amplifiers for use in a wide range of markets based in Oxford, MA.
• Represented OneDomain, Inc., a provider of media planning, research and business intelligence software to television stations, radio stations and advertising agencies, in connection with its sale to WideOrbit, Inc., a larger provider of similar software solutions based in San Francisco, CA.
• Represented MedMined, Inc., a data mining company focused on eliminating staph and other hospital-acquired infections, in connection with its sale to Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) (now CareFusion, Inc. (NYSE: CFN)).

Recognition

• Chambers USA: Leading Individual in the area of Corporate Law (2009 - present)
• The Best Lawyers in America© for Business Organizations including LLCs and Partnerships (2013-present); Corporate Law (2009-2014, 2017-present); Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law (2010-present); Mergers & Acquisitions Law (2009-present); Securities/Capital Markets Law (2007-present); Venture Capital Law (2009-present)
• Best Lawyers® 2021 and 2018 “Lawyer of the Year” for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
• Best Lawyers "Lawyer of the Year" for Venture Capital Law (2021, 2020, 2016, 2021,2022, and 2024)
• Best Lawyers 2016 "Lawyer of the Year" for Business Organization including LLCs and Partnerships
• Birmingham Business Journal "Top 40 Under 40" (2005); "Forty Top 40 Under 40" (2015)

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