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John H. Lawrence

he/him/his

Partner

John Lawrence focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity transactions, angel investments, private equity fund formation, and securities transactions in a broad range of industries, including aerospace, insurance and managed care, health care, energy and natural resources, and technology.  He represents public and private companies in merger and acquisition transactions, private equity and venture capital investments, joint ventures, recapitalizations, corporate governance matters, shareholder disputes and business separations and dissolutions. 

John has significant experience in transition planning for family-owned and closely held businesses and assisting owners and management in preparing for and executing sale transactions and other transitions to the next generation of owners and management.  John’s broad range of experience as a general corporate and business lawyer has proven invaluable to business owners who have not been through a sale transaction and are unfamiliar with the complex and fast-moving process.  John’s collaborative approach and breadth of knowledge of business, financial and tax issues, as well as his sensitivity to the complexities of family-owned or closely held businesses, make him particularly well-suited to manage the legal aspects of a sale process that maximizes value to the current owners and positions the company for continued growth. 

John has testified on numerous occasions before the Judiciary, the Commerce and the Banks Committees of the Connecticut General Assembly on behalf of the Business Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association in support of various amendments to the Connecticut Business Corporation Act, the Connecticut Entity Transactions Act; he also played a significant role in drafting and testifying in favor of the adoption of the Connecticut Benefit Corporation Act.

John has testified on numerous occasions before the Judiciary, the Commerce and the Banks Committees of the Connecticut General Assembly on behalf of the Business Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association in support of various amendments to the Connecticut Business Corporation Act, the Connecticut Entity Transactions Act; he also played a significant role in drafting and testifying in favor of the adoption of the Connecticut Benefit Corporation Act.

Credentials

Education

  • University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1975
  • Washington and Lee University, B.S., 1968

Bar Admissions

  • Connecticut, 1975

Distinctions

  • AV Preeminent® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
  • Listed in Chambers USA, Corporate M&A (2008-2022); Healthcare (2013-2016)
  • Listed as a Connecticut Super Lawyer®: Business/Corporate (2007-2019)
  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®: Corporate Law (2006-2025); Health Care Law (2006-2023); Corporate Governance Law (2025)
  • Named "Lawyer of the Year": Best Lawyers Hartford Region, Health Care Law (2013); Corporate Law (2020, 2024)
  • Connecticut Bar Foundation: Life Fellow

Teaching Positions

  • University of Connecticut School of Law: Adjunct Professor, Corporate and Tax Planning for Business Transactions (2006-present)

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association: Section of Business Law, Corporate Laws Committee, Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, Acquisitions of Public Companies Subcommittee, M&A Jurisprudence Subcommittee, Private Target Model Merger Agreement Task Force, and Judicial Interpretations Subcommittee; Connecticut Liaison to Corporate Laws Committee; and Private Equity and Venture Capital Committee
  • Connecticut Bar Association: Business Law Section, Chair (2012-2014), Executive Committee
  • Hartford County Bar Association
  • American Health Lawyers Association

Community Involvement

  • Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Inc.: Former President and Former Director
  • Greater Hartford Arts Council: Governance Committee, Board of Directors
  • Hartford Hospital: Board of Corporators
  • The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts: Board of Overseers
  • The Hartford Club: Former President and Director and a member of the Board of Governors
  • World Affairs Council of Connecticut, Inc.: Former Director
  • XPX Connecticut, Inc.: Founding member and former Director
  • Buckingham Congregational Church:  Former Co-Chair, Board of Deacons

Experience

Mergers, acquisitions & joint ventures

Acquisition of Life Sciences Research Company

Represented an affiliate of SARORAS Private Capital, a private equity fund that invests in growing companies in the technology-enabled services industry, in connection with its multi-million acquisition of InCrowd, Inc., a leading market research company in the life sciences industry.  Our representation included both the creation of a new platform for the investor syndicate, as well as a merger transaction to acquire the target company.

General

Recapitalization of a Significant Public Company As Special Connecticut Counsel In Elimination of Dual Classes of Stock and Related Shareholder Litigation

Shipman & Goodwin acted as Connecticut counsel to a special committee of the Board of Directors of a significant public company based in Connecticut in connection with a recapitalization of the company’s two classes of common stock, one class of publicly traded non-voting shares and a second class of privately held voting shares, into a single class of publicly traded voting common stock.

$98,000,000 Joint Acquisition of a 60 MW Energy Projects Operator

Independent power producer and its joint venture partner acquired a Connecticut-based owner and operator of 60 MW of renewable energy projects around the country.

Biography Photo of John Lawrence

Hartford

860.251.5139

jlawrence@goodwin.com

Areas of Focus

  • Business and Corporate
  • Mergers, Acquisitions and Joint Ventures
  • Private Equity and Venture Capital
  • Mezzanine Finance
  • Securities
  • Outside General Counsel

Related Industries

  • Startups
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May 11, 2020

2020 Chambers Guide Recognizes Lawyers as Leaders in Their Field

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