J. Berkeley Bentley assists and advises clients in public finance and municipal bond matters; in commercial and corporate transactional matters that encompass every phase of the business life cycle, from startup counseling, securities offerings, capital raises and other corporate finance matters, to mergers, acquisitions and sales of assets; and in matters involving creditor’s rights and bankruptcy proceedings. He is admitted to practice in West Virginia and Virginia.
Berkeley has assisted on revenue bond and revenue refunding bond transactions, general obligation bond financings, lease purchase financings, qualified zone academy bonds, excess levy projects and economic development transactions. Municipal bond financings on which Berkeley has played an important role have included both “new money” or construction financings as well as refunding bond issues. Berkeley’s work in the Bowles Rice bond practice has included extensive involvement in helping draft and negotiate key bond documents, authorizing resolutions and appearing before a variety of governmental entities and boards who are issuing bonds or other tax-exempt obligations when the Firm is serving as Bond Counsel.
In his commercial and corporate practice, Berkeley has been involved in formation of limited liability companies and other business entities, and has worked on private placement memoranda and other securities offering materials for raising capital for new businesses. He also has worked on mergers and acquisitions, convertible note agreements and asset sales for corporate and business clients, as well as advising clients on bankruptcy and creditors’ issues.
Berkeley received both his law degree and Executive MBA from West Virginia University. While there, he served as an Executive Editor for the West Virginia Law Review, Volume 118, and served as a research and teaching assistant. He served as chair of the WVU College of Law Ethics Council and participated in its Entrepreneurship and Innovation Clinic, where he assisted clients with starting businesses, drafting contracts and protecting intellectual property.
Prior to earning his law degree, Berkeley completed bachelor’s degrees in English and political science and master’s degrees in history and Baltic studies.