Overview
Bill Lawrence is a member of the firm's Corporate practice group and focuses his practice in the areas of corporate and business transaction law and wireless telecommunications law.
Bill’s business practice focuses generally on the representation of private and closely held companies, mergers and acquisitions, the formation and governance of various business organizations, e-commerce/technology acquisitions and agreements, and a wide range of other commercial contract matters.
Bill has a wireless telecommunications practice, which focuses on representing wireless carriers, cell tower owners, wireless network infrastructure providers, and other mobile broadband industry businesses in a broad range of legal, regulatory, and business related issues, including site and right-of-way space acquisitions for cell towers, small cell facilities, and other communications facilities (whether through leasing, licensing, purchasing, or obtaining other interests), communications facility and infrastructure deployments and upgrades, and network and infrastructure asset sales and other divestitures, in connection with, among other areas, site acquisition and deployment of macro sites (including cell towers, rooftop installations, etc.) and small cell deployments, network leasing/licensing, network facility upgrades.
Bill has a manufacturing supply chain practice, which focuses on representing original equipment manufacturers and other supply chain manufacturers in a wide range of industries, including the automotive, chemical, industrial parts, and construction equipment industries.
Bill has substantial experience representing privately owned and publicly traded clients (including clients in the manufacturing, supply, and distribution industries) in commercial contracting matters across a wide range of businesses. Among other types of commercial contracts, Bill regularly handles the following: agreements for the purchase and sale of products; product license agreements; purchase order terms and conditions; terms and conditions of sale; supply and distribution agreements; technology acquisition and licensing agreements; e-commerce agreements; software license and support agreements; employment agreements; independent contractor agreements; indemnification agreements; and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements.
Bill has handled matters in the sports and entertainment field for approximately 20 years. Among other representations, Bill has represented the following: professional athletes in marketing and related transactions; an ownership group in its acquisition of a professional baseball team and subsequent contractual matters for the team, including stadium lease and vendor contracts; an automobile racing venture in various contractual matters; automobile brand immersion venture in various contractual matters; a regional member of USA Volleyball, the national governing body of volleyball in the U.S.; sports broadcasters and other television and radio talent in transactions involving major college sports programs and networks; a publication company focusing on hip hop music; a comic book series in licensing and podcasting matters; a special-interest magazine and book publisher in acquisition, licensing, employment, and marketing deals; an award winning documentary film company in connection with formation and distribution matters; recording artists and bands in connection with publication and distribution deals; and a film production company in connection with capitalization, formation, and operational matters. Click here to see more detail about Bill’s sports and entertainment law experience on the Burr & Forman Sports Law website.
Prior to beginning private practice, Bill served as Law Clerk for the Honorable Robert B. Propst, Senior United States District Judge of the Northern District of Alabama from 1996 to 1997.
Experience
- Represented a global wireless communications carrier in (1) the disposition of network facilities covering 20 states, (2) deployments and upgrades of hundreds of cell towers, other macro sites, and small cell facilities across five states, and (3) agreements with wireless infrastructure solutions providers, utilities, and local governments.
- Represented a project management firm specializing in network infrastructure for the wireless, fiber, and utility industries in connection with a services agreement to deploy wireless infrastructure on United States military bases.
- Represented multiple wireless infrastructure providers in connection with real estate and related matters for small cell facility deployments, cell tower and other macro site deployments, preparation of form agreements, and title and easement matters.
- Represented publicly-traded and privately held clients in merger and acquisition work spanning a broad range of businesses, including telecommunications services, medical imaging, materials wholesale, automobile conversion and customization, furniture manufacturing, lighting control, special-interest publishing, retail sporting goods, building materials and clothing retailers, including the following:
- Represented a plumbing, HVAC, industrial, mechanical, and water works supplies distributor in numerous acquisitions across the Southern United States.
- Represented an investor group in its acquisition of a minor league baseball club.
- Represented a special interest organization and magazine publisher in its sale to an American cable television network.
- Represented an industrial saw blade manufacturer in its disposition to a Dutch saw blade manufacturer.
- Represented a construction equipment dealer in its disposition to a global industrial and agricultural equipment distributor.
- Represented a publicly-traded metals recycling company in multiple acquisition and financing matters.
- Represented a leading U.S. banking franchise in connection with technology and e-commerce commercial contracts and its implementation and modification of a short code texting program.
- Represented a Fortune 100 financial company in the negotiation of commercial and e-commerce contracts, including software licenses and service/support agreements, software development agreements, and other commercial contracts.
- Represented an oil and gas distributor in the negotiation of commercial contracts, including product acquisition and distribution agreements and transfer and storage agreements.
- Represented several title insurance companies in both litigation and non-litigation matters involving a variety of real estate issues, including boundary disputes, mortgages and security deeds, creation of easements, adverse possession, corrective measures, bad faith failure to pay claims, lis pendens, and defalcation matters.
- Represented professional athletes, television and radio personalities, musical artists, night clubs, health clubs and studio owners, among others, in the sports and entertainment industries.
- Represented a non-profit film production company in its development, production, and exploitation of an award winning feature length documentary motion picture.
- Represented automobile racing instruction and brand immersion businesses in their ventures with global automobile manufacturers.
Honors & Recognitions
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America®: Corporate Law since 2016; Business Organizations since 2017; Mergers and Acquisitions Law since 2021
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating
- Named, "Best of the Bar" in Technology Law, Birmingham Business Journal
- Named, "Birmingham's Top Legal Minds," B-Metro Magazine
- Recipient of the ‘Alumnus of the Year Award’ in 2019 from The Donoho School, a college-preparatory, day school in Anniston, Alabama
- Named "Top Lawyer" in the American Heart Association's Lawyers Have a Heart Campaign
- Two-Time Recipient, "Outstanding Service Award," American Heart Association
- Cordell Hull Teaching Fellow, Cumberland School of Law
- Member, American Journal of Trial Advocacy
Newsroom
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Professional & Community
Professional Activities
- Member, Alabama Wireless Association
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Birmingham Bar Association
- Former Member, Junior Board of Directors, Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. (Alabama Theatre & Lyric Theatre)
- Former Member, Entertainment and Sports Law Task Force of Alabama State Bar
- Former Member, Board of Directors and Former President, The Over the Mountain Touchdown Club of Birmingham, Alabama (Presented the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year)
Special Certifications & Licenses
Special Certifications & Licenses
- Licensed Athlete Agent, Alabama Athlete Agent Commission (License No. UN-1358)
Paralegal/Assistant
Legal Practice Assistant
Michelle Prestley
(205) 458-5495
mprestley@burr.com
