James Stevens provides general corporate and bank regulatory advice to clients. Mr. Stevens has substantial experience in the representation of public and private companies and financial institutions in mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and regulatory reporting and compliance. He also advises clients with respect to controlling and non-controlling equity investments.
Mr. Stevens was recognized as a 2009 "40 Under 40 Up and Comer" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, has been selected as a Georgia "Rising Star" by SuperLawyers magazine from 2006-2011, and was a member of the 2007-2008 Leadership Buckhead Program. Mr. Stevens manages the firm's reduced hours program, is a member of the firm's hiring committee, and serves as co-chair of the Atlanta summer associate program. During law school, Mr. Stevens was Managing Editor of the Georgia Law Review and a Welborn B. Cody Scholar.
Professional & Community Activities
Empty Stocking Fund, Board and Finance Committee Member
Georgia Bankers Association, Bank Counsel Section, Past Chairman
Georgia Phi Foundation, Board Member
Leadership Buckhead, Board Member, Secretary and Co-Chair of Nominations
Industries
Banking & Credit Unions; Telecommunications; Financial Services
Experience
Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering, of senior notes for Interface, Inc., Represented Interface, Inc., a public manufacturing company, in its Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering of $175 million of 10.375% senior notes due in 2010.
Trust preferred offering for Fidelity Southern Corporation, Represented Fidelity Southern Corporation, one of the largest publicly traded bank holding companies based in Atlanta, Georgia, in a trust preferred offering.
Equity offering for United Community Banks, Inc., Represented United Community Banks, Inc., one of the largest bank holding companies located in Georgia, in a public equity offering.
Multifaceted transaction for Interface Inc., Represented Interface Inc., a worldwide leader in the design, production and sales of modular carpet, in its approximately $300 million public debt refinancing transaction. The multifaceted transaction included a tender offer for two series of outstanding public notes, in tandem with a Rule 144A offering of new notes on more favorable terms, and a subsequent registered exchange offer for the new notes to permit their free tradability.
Acquisition of ISP Sports by IMG Worldwide Holdings, Represented ISP Sports in its acquisition by IMG Worldwide Holdings to form IMG College, an approximately $500 million business unit, as the leading college sports media rights company in the country.
Sale of classified substandard and non-performing loans for United Community Banks Inc., Represented United Community Banks, Inc. in its bulk sale of $266 million in classified substandard and non-performing loans.
Private equity offering for United Community Banks, Inc., Represented United Community Banks, Inc. in a $380 million private equity offering.
Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering, of senior notes for Interface, Inc., Represented Interface, Inc., a public manufacturing company of carpet tile, in its Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering, of $150 million 7.3% senior notes due in 2008.
Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering, of senior subordinated notes for Interface Inc., Represented Interface, Inc., a manufacturer of carpet tile, in connection with a Rule 144A initial offering, and subsequent registered exchange offering, of $135 million 9.5% senior subordinated notes due in 2014.
Sale of Division for Interface, Inc., Represented Interface, Inc., a public manufacturer, in the sale of its fabrics division to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.
Note and tender offering for Interface, Inc., Represented Interface, Inc. in a $275 million note offering and concurrent $260 million tender offering for outstanding notes.
Acquisition for United Community Banks Inc., Represented United Community Banks, Inc., one of the largest bank holding companies located in Georgia, in a $216.5 million acquisition of Gwinnett Commercial Group, Inc., a Georgia bank holding company.
Acquisition for United Community Banks, Inc., Represented United Community Banks, Inc., one of the largest bank holding companies located in Georgia, in its acquisition of Southern Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Southern National Bank located in Marietta, Georgia.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick Townsend
Publications
24 April 2012, The JOBS Act: What to Expect from the Not-So-Private Private Placement Regulations, Legal Alerts
16 April 2012, SEC Interprets JOBS Act Changes to Registration and Deregistration Requirements, Legal Alerts
05 April 2012, New JOBS Act Facilitates Private and Public Capital Formation, Legal Alerts
04 March 2011, Federal Banking Agencies Offer Proposal to Reform Financial Institution Incentive Pay, Legal Alerts
14 February 2011, FDIC Approves Final Rule of Assessments, Dividends, Assessment Base and Large Bank Pricing, Legal Alerts
14 February 2011, FRB Proposes Rules Governing Supervision of Nonbank Financial Companies and Significant Nonbank Financial Companies and Bank Holding Companies, Legal Alerts
06 December 2010, Federal Reserve Board Issues Proposal to Implement Volcker Rule Conformance Periods, Legal Alerts
17 November 2010, FDIC Proposes to Implement Dodd-Frank Act Changes to Deposit Insurance Assessments, Legal Alerts
09 November 2010, FinCEN Completes Reorganization of BSA Regulations, Legal Alerts
06 October 2010, FDIC Proposes Rule to Implement Dodd-Frank Unlimited Deposit Insurance Coverage For Non-Interest Bearing Transaction Accounts, Legal Alerts
30 September 2010, Legislation Enacted to Create the Small Business Lending Fund, Legal Alerts
29 September 2010, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau to Assume Responsibilities on July 21, 2011, Legal Alerts
06 August 2010, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act - Scope of Coverage of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, Legal Alerts
28 July 2010, Kilpatrick Stockton Presents Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act Issues for Banks, Podcasts
15 July 2010, Congress Passes Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Significant Changes to Regulation of Depository Institutions, Legal Alerts
27 May 2010, Amendments to Financial Services Reform Bill Adopted on Senate Floor Would Have Significant Impact on Depository Institutions, Legal Alerts
07 May 2010, Banking Regulators Issue Final Guidance on Correspondent Concentration Risks, Legal Alerts
22 April 2010, FDIC Proposes Revisions to Risk-Based Assessment System for Large Insured Depository Institutions and Adjustments to Assessment Range for All Insured Institutions, Legal Alerts
16 April 2010, FDIC Extends Transaction Account Guarantee Program, Legal Alerts
22 March 2010, Senate Banking Committee to Consider Comprehensive Changes to Regulation of Depository Institutions, Legal Alerts
16 March 2010, Federal Reserve Proposes Additional Requirements for Credit Card Issuers, Legal Alerts
23 February 2010, SEC Proposes Amendments to Modernize Rule 10b-18 Safe Harbor Regarding Issuer Repurchases, Legal Alerts
15 January 2010, Federal Reserve Board Amends Truth in Lending Regulation to Implement CARD Act; New Requirements are Effective February 22, 2010, Legal Alerts
15 January 2010, Divided FDIC Enters Regulatory Debate on Incentive Pay, Legal Alerts
11 January 2010, Depository Institution Regulators Issue Advisory on Interest Rate Risk Management, Legal Alerts
17 November 2009, FDIC Finalizes Rule Requiring Prepaid Assessments to Assist Deposit Insurance Fund, Legal Alerts
13 November 2009, Senator Dodd Releases Plan for Financial Regulatory Reform, Legal Alerts
02 November 2009, Fed Enters Executive Pay Debate with Proposal For Oversight of Incentive Compensation, Legal Alerts
28 October 2009, FDIC Winds Down Debt Guarantee Program; Establishes Emergency Guarantee Facility, Legal Alerts
02 October 2009, FDIC Proposed Prepaid Assessments to Assist Deposit Insurance Fund, Legal Alerts
16 March 2006, Absent Regulatory Changes, Hispanic Immigrants Pose an Unbankable Risk
Source: The Banking Law Journal, Articles
Securities Law, Blogs
News
25 January 2012, Kilpatrick Townsend's James Stevens and Paul Pilecki to Speak at Banking Law Program, News Releases
19 August 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Partner James Stevens to Speak at Porter Keadle Moore, LLP's Strategic Expansion Seminar: Loss Share & Beyond, News Releases
04 August 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Awarded Atlanta's Top Law Firm Award for Supporting March for Babies, News Releases
07 June 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Partner James Stevens to Speak at 2011 Georgia Bankers Association Annual Convention, News Releases
06 May 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend's Ben Barkley Elected Board Chair and James Stevens Elected Board Member of the Empty Stocking Fund, News Releases
02 March 2011, Kilpatrick Townsend Once Again Achieves Top Recognition in 2011 Georgia Super Lawyers, News Releases
29 July 2010, Kilpatrick Stockton Presents Webinars Addressing New Era of Financial Regulation: A Community Bank and Thrift Perspective, News Releases
15 June 2010, Kilpatrick Stockton Recognized by Prestigious 2010 Legal 500 US, News Releases
04 March 2010, Kilpatrick Stockton Ranked Number One in Five 2010 Georgia Super Lawyer Categories, News Releases
19 November 2009, Kilpatrick Stockton's James Stevens Named One of "Atlanta's 40 Under 40 Rising Stars", News Releases
23 June 2009, Kilpatrick Stockton's James Stevens Selected Chairman of the Bank Counsel of the Georgia Bankers Association, News Releases
02 March 2009, Kilpatrick Stockton Attorneys Named 2009 Georgia "Rising Stars" by Georgia Super Lawyers, News Releases
10 February 2009, James Stevens to Speak at the Greater Atlanta Credit Unions Chapter Meeting, News Releases
Events
17 February 2012, The Role Of Lawyers In The Interaction Between Bank Clients And The Government, Events
08 December 2011, Dodd Frank Update, Events
30 August 2011, Operational, Accounting, Tax and Legal Considerations, Events
21 June 2011, Dealing with Today's Legal and Regulatory Issues - Ask the Attorneys, Events
19 October 2010, Are you SAFE - Change is Everywhere, Events
05 October 2010, FDIC Claims and D&O Insurance, Events
28 July 2010, Entering the New Era of Financial Regulation: A Community Bank and Thrift Perspective, Events
26 March 2010, Overview of the Securities Laws and Regulations: Understanding the Framework, Events
01 June 2009, So You Bought a Failed Bank: Now What?, Events
01 May 2009, Good Corporate Governance for Non-Profits, Events
01 February 2009, Hot Legal Topics Impacting Credit Unions, Events
28 March 2008, Overview of the Securities Laws and Regulations: Understanding the Framework, Events
01 July 2007, Organizing and Operating a Non-Profit Corporation, Events