Practice Area

• Business Transactions
• Business Litigation
• Not for Profit Representation

Areas of Emphasis

• Business formations/acquisitions/ mergers
• Trial Work
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Non-profit associations with special emphasis on private foundations and for charities

Bar Admissions

• California, 1969

Education

• Loyola Law School (J.D. 1968)
• Claremont McKenna College (1965)

James P. Lower represents a variety of clients in litigation, transactions, and corporate governance. His experience has included litigation in both state and federal courts and multi-state litigation. His litigation work has involved real estate matters including real property disputes, energy-related matters, trust matters, fiduciary litigation, corporate merger and acquisition disputes, environmental disputes, employer/employee disputes, representation of creditors in bankruptcy matters, and agricultural matters. Mr. Lower has represented trustees and other fiduciaries in complex trust litigation with an emphasis on real estate fiduciary litigation. Mr. Lower serves on the Board of Directors of the National Club Association and the California State Club Association and has a particular interest in advising private clubs and other associations regarding privacy and other federal and state laws affecting them. Mr. Lower is Past President and the General Counsel for The California Club. He served as both lead and co-counsel in the sale of a large publicly traded corporation, the wide range of disputes and complex litigation arising out of the sale, and the impact of that sale, on key shareholders. He has been involved in, or the partner in charge of, complex probate matters, including probate of high net worth individuals. His transactional work has also involved mergers and acquisitions, the buying and selling of various business entities, state and federal securities work, real estate transactions, water rights, formation of corporations and partnerships, lending transactions and executive compensation agreements. His corporate governance work has involved a variety of businesses including charitable foundations. In this regard, he is the partner at Hanna and Morton primarily responsible for W. M. Keck Foundation matters and serves as General Counsel for the Foundation. He is particularly knowledgeable regarding the complex set of federal and state laws and regulations governing private foundations and concerning the potential liabilities faced by individuals when they undertake to serve either “not for profit” or “for profit” institutions in fiduciary capacities. He is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College and Loyola Law School and a member of the Board of Visitors of Loyola Law School.

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