James L. Holzman
Director

Jim Holzman is a member of the Corporate Litigation and Corporate Law Counseling Groups.  His litigation practice concentrates on defense of litigation involving mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities law, and other complex business matters.  His corporate law practice focuses on advising Delaware corporations, boards of directors, and board committees on fiduciary duties and the application and construction of provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law in contexts such as mergers and acquisitions and other transactional settings and those involving governance and compliance issues.  He has represented special board committees formed to negotiate major transactions as well as those convened to conduct investigations.

Mr. Holzman is a long-time member and currently Vice Chairman of the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association, the Bar group responsible for reviewing and recommending amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law.  He chaired the corporate governance review task force for the Council in the wake of major corporate scandals.  He also chaired the Council committee that developed amendments to Section 271 of the DGCL (sale of assets).  Previously, he chaired the Council committee that developed, after a two year study, technology amendments to the DGCL.  On the national level, he has assumed a number of leadership posts with the American Bar Association.  He is currently a member of the Editorial Board of The Business Lawyer.  Previously, he served as Chair of the Business and Corporate Litigation Committee of the ABA.  He served as a member of the Council of the ABA Section of Business Law and chaired both the Finance Committee and the Revenue Committee.  He is also a liaison for the Business Law Section to the ABA Presidential Task Force on the Attorney-Client Privilege.

Mr. Holzman is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White), as a leading practitioner in his field.

Practice Areas

• Corporate Litigation
• Corporate Law Counseling
• General Litigation
  • Commercial and Contract Disputes

Recent Experience

Mr. Holzman has represented one or more defendants in the following class or derivative cases challenging mergers or other acquisition transactions:

• Agostino v. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, 845 A.2d 1110 (Del. Ch. 2004).
• In re Azurix Corp. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 18463-NC.
• In re BancTec Inc.  Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 17092-NC.
• Behrens v. Triathlon Broadcasting Company, Del. Ch. C.A. No. 16560-NC.
• Brickell Partners v. Chancellor Media, Del. Ch. C.A. No. 16635-NC.
• In re Cheyenne Software Inc. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. C.A. No. 14941, Nov. 7, 1996 (Chandler, VC).
• In re Concentra Managed Care Stockholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 16990-NC.
• In re Dole Foods Co. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 19908-NC.
• In re Enron Oil & Gas Company Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 17322.
• Gerber v. Computer Associates International, Inc., 303 F.3d 126 (2d Cir. 2002); 2000 WL 307379 (E.D.N.Y.); 1995 WL 228388 (E.D.N.Y.); 860 F.Supp. 27 (E.D.N.Y. 1994); 814 F. Supp. 6 (E.D.N.Y. 1993); and 812 F. Supp. 361 (E.D.N.Y. 1993).
• Great Neck Capital Appreciation Investment Partnership, LP v. Bolander, Del. Ch. C.A. No. 16247-NC.
• In re Insignia Financial Group, Inc. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 20321.
• Krim v. ProNet, Inc., 744 A.2d 523 (Del. Ch. 1999).
• In re Mossimo, Inc. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 1246-N.
• In re Netpliance Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Con. C.A. No. 18570-NC.
• Parnes v. Linker, Del. Ch. C.A. No. 16400-NC.
• In re Paymentech, Inc. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 17044-NC.
• In re Penneco Energy Shareholders Litigation, 787 A.2d 691 (Del. Ch. 2001).
• Phillips v. Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, Inc., Del. Ch. C.A. No. 16522-NC.
• In re Prodigy Communications Corp. Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 19113, July 26, 2002 (Lamb, VC).
• In re Reliance Securities Litigation, 2003 WL 1943320 (D.Del.); 135 F.Supp. 2d 480 (D.Del. 2001); and 91 F. Supp. 2d 706 (D.Del. 2000).
• In re White Cap Industries Shareholders Litigation, Del. Ch. Cons. C.A. No. 17329-NC.
• Zoren v. Genesis Energy LP, 836 A.2d 521 (Del. Ch. 2003); and 195 F. Supp. 2d 598 (D.Del. 2002).

Other recent clients have included public corporations and entities such as Alamosa Holdings, Inc., Alliance Semiconductor, L-3 Communications Corporation, and Plains All American Pipeline LP, among others.

Professional and Community Activities

• Vice Chairman, Corporation Law Council and Section, Delaware State Bar Association
• Member, Editorial Board, The Business Lawyer
• Chair, Business and Corporate Litigation Committee, ABA Business Law Section (1996-2000)
• Co-Chair, Ad Hoc Committee on Judges, ABA Business Law Section (2003-2006)
• Member, Council, ABA Business Law Section Council (2001-2005)
• Chair, Council Finance Committee, ABA Business Law Section (2004-2005)
• Chair, Revenue Committee, ABA Business Law Section
• Member, Task Force on Litigation Reform and Rules Revision, ABA Business Law Section
• Member, Advisory Board, Northeast Business Law Institute
• President, Board of Trustees, Tower Hill School (2000-2003)

Bar Admissions

• Delaware
• Florida
• United States District Court for the District of Delaware
• United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• United States Supreme Court

Publications

• Review of Developments in Delaware Corporation Law (published annually 1995-____)
• James L. Holzman and Thomas A. Mullen, A New Technology Frontier for Delaware Corporations,  4 Delaware Law Review 1 (2001).

Education

• Stetson University (B.A. 1970)
• University of Florida (J.D. 1972)