Jason Lawrence

Jason Lawrence is a Senior Managing Associate in both Dentons' Venture Technology group and Banking and Finance group, specialising in complex financing transactions. His primary practice area is Banking and Finance Law.

His work includes senior secured credit facilities, venture debt financings, acquisition financings, search fund financings, cannabis financings and restructurings. He advises both borrowers and lenders across a range of industries, with particular depth in healthcare, private equity, technology, energy, cannabis and financial services.

On the lender side, he has represented leading financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, BMO, Wells Fargo, Credit Agricole, CIBC and Credit Suisse in structuring, amending and restructuring significant credit facilities, including the preparation of US collateral documents in connection with cross-border financing transactions.

On the borrower side, he regularly counsels private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, search funds and emerging growth businesses on leveraged finance, acquisition financings and working capital facilities, in addition to counselling cannabis companies on financing options available to companies in the legal cannabis industry. His experience spans middle-market transactions through to multi-billion-dollar corporate financings.

He also has experience advising clients on financing-related regulatory matters, including issues arising from the CARES Act and the LIBOR transition. Prior to joining Dentons, he advised corporate borrowers, private equity sponsors, search funds and financial institutions on syndicated lending, private credit and leveraged finance matters at another international law firm.

His borrower-side matters include representing a leading public company provider of coworking spaces in connection with the negotiation of a $200 million 364-day bilateral letter of credit facility and the negotiation of $1.7 billion aggregate amount of senior secured term loan, revolving and letter of credit facilities provided by a global money-center bank; representing a New York-based middle market private equity sponsor in connection with the establishment of an $80 million senior secured term loan facility for multiple portfolio companies specialising in language education services; and representing a leading technology advisory firm in connection with a $100 million senior secured term loan facility provided by a leading private credit fund.

He also represented a national on-site and virtual advanced primary care provider in connection with a $100 million senior secured term loan facility; a leading software and fund administration services provider in connection with a $75 million senior secured term loan facility and a $5 million revolving facility; a leading fintech home equity lender in connection with a $6.5 million convertible note financing and a $6 million term loan facility; and a leading provider of small business accounting and banking, financial automation software and cash flow management services in connection with a $15 million venture debt facility.

Other borrower-side matters include representing a search fund client in connection with a $24.6 million senior secured term loan facility; a leading veterinary and urgent care provider in connection with a $45 million senior secured term loan facility; the provider of a web application and API protection and security platform in connection with an $8 million venture debt facility; and a leading California-based provider of cannabis products in connection with an $11 million term loan facility.

He has also represented a New York-based middle market private equity sponsor in connection with the establishment of a $10.6 million senior secured term loan facility and a $6.5 million senior secured revolving facility for a portfolio company specialising in communication services; a search fund specialising in the acquisition of entities in the medical aesthetics space in connection with a $13.6 million senior secured term loan facility and a $1 million revolving credit facility; a high-growth provider of portable sanitation and waste management services in connection with an $85 million senior secured term loan facility; a healthcare technology company in connection with a $20 million senior secured revolving credit facility; and a healthcare technology and staffing company in connection with a $65 million senior secured revolving credit facility.

His lender-side matters include representing a leading Canadian bank as lender in connection with the amendment and provision of subscription line of credit and management company line of credit facilities; a global money-center bank as lender in connection with the amendment and restatement of a $55 million senior secured term loan facility and a $55 million revolving loan facility for an investment grade company; and multiple global money-center banks as lender, term loan agent and asset-based loan agent in connection with a $40 million incremental financing, a $40 million amendment to an existing ABL facility and subsequent joinder transactions.

He also represented a global money-center bank as lender and administrative agent in connection with a $100 million incremental upsize of an existing term loan facility and a $75 million term loan facility; a leading Canadian bank as lender and administrative agent in connection with multiple amendments of existing revolving credit facilities and a $30 million senior secured superpriority debtor-in-possession credit facility; and a global money-center bank as issuing bank, lender and administrative agent in connection with the amendment and restructuring of a $50 million revolving credit facility.

His general advisory matters include preparing a memorandum summarising small business loan expansions pursuant to the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act and the CARES Act; assisting an asset management firm in the analysis of existing debt documentation of a major energy producer; assisting a leading alternative asset manager in the preparation of LIBOR analysis; and assisting a global money-center bank in the preparation of a summary of multiple existing credit facilities pursuant to default analysis in connection with the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic.

He was recognised in "The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 in New York". He holds a JD from Harvard Law School (2017) and a BA (cum laude) from Dartmouth College (2013).