James W Childs

James serves as Chairman of Bradley Ventures, a cross-disciplinary team of attorneys focused on representing the full spectrum of participants in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including investors and healthcare IT, medical device, life science, digital media, cyber security, SaaS and software, cleantech, and other high-growth companies. His operating company clients range from high-tech starts-ups to large, mature manufacturing businesses, and his investor clients range from first-time hedge fund managers to experienced private equity teams. By focusing his practice on these two primary constituents (investors and high-growth operating companies)

James has gained in-depth knowledge and insight into his clients’ businesses and the industries in which they operate. His focused volume of experience also provides him with up-to-date knowledge of current investment and M&A deal terms and trends, as well as the ability to make connections and bring strategic value to his clients. James represents operating companies in connection with M&A transactions, venture capital, private equity, debt, and other financings; intellectual property licensing; the negotiation of complex strategic agreements; cyber security programs; and general corporate matters. He also represents investors in connection with fund formations, investments in and acquisitions and dispositions of portfolio companies, and securities compliance. James has been recognized for his legal acumen in these areas by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America. He operates a high-end training program called the Entrepreneur Accelerator Program (EAP) that he founded in 2004 as President of the Birmingham Venture Club.

EAP equips CEOs to take their operating companies to the next level, and CEO participants lead companies ranging from start-ups to those with more than $20 million in revenue. James also serves on numerous boards of directors, including boards of organizations focused on cultivating innovation economies and entrepreneurial ecosystems and accelerating entrepreneurial ventures. He is also an entrepreneur himself, having co-founded a strategic investment firm and several healthcare-focused start-ups.