O'Connor Cochran LLP

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O'Connor Cochran LLP

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James Cochran

Photo Of James Cochran
  • Partner

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Practice Areas

  • Financing Transactions
  • Commercial Property Purchases and Sales
  • UCC Matters
  • Leasing Programs
  • Workouts, Distressed Assets and Foreclosures
  • Commercial Real Estate Purchases and Sales
  • UCC Transactions
  • Commercial Real Estate Leasing Programs
  • Environmental and Entitlements
  • Business Law

Biography

Jim has extensive experience advising clients in workouts and restructurings involving complex collateral packages and multiple jurisdictions. Jim routinely represents secured lenders, distressed debt investors, special servicers and other clients in connection with secured loan restructurings (including consolidations), structured asset dispositions, collateral “take backs,” discounted payoffs, note sales and similar matters as well as lien enforcement proceedings (including judicial and nonjudicial foreclosures of retail, office, hotel and other properties and UCC sales of limited liability company and partnership interests).

Jim also advises lenders and investors in a wide variety of sophisticated commercial real estate financings, including mortgage loan transactions (both recourse and non-recourse) and mezzanine loan transactions.

In addition, Jim has particular expertise in loan portfolio reviews, secured financings, enforcement actions and other matters involving Article 9 (Secured Transactions) of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Formerly a co-chair of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee of the California State Bar’s Business Law Section and a member of the Section’s Executive Committee, Jim has also served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Financial Lawyers Conference. He is currently a member of the Opinions Committee of the California Lawyers Association’s (formerly the California State Bar’s) Business Law Section. Until recently, he was also a member of the Real Property Advisory Committee of the California CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar).

Jim is a fellow of both the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers.

Education

  • The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
    • J.D. - 1987
    • Honors: with honors
    • Honors: Order of the Coif
    • Law Review, Texas Law Review, Editor
  • Wesleyan University
    • B.A. - 1977
    • Honors: magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

  • California, 1990
  • Texas, 1987

Professional Associations

  • American College of Mortgage Attorneys, Fellow
  • American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers, Fellow
  • California Lawyers
  • Association, Business Law Section, Opinions Committee
  • California Lawyers Association, Real Property Law Section
  • Financial Lawyers Conference
  • American Bar Association
  • CRE Finance Council

Published Works

  • Author, “Taking and Perfecting a Security Interest in Personal Property Collateral Under Commercial Code Division 9,” in CEB California Real Estate Finance Practice, Chapter 7 (January 2025; updated annually)
  • Update Author, “The Guaranty,” in California Real Estate Finance Practice, Chapter 6 (January 2025; updated annually)
  • Co-author, Structuring and Enforcing Commercial Real Estate Loans in California: A Practical Guide (March 2024) [privately published]
  • Contributor, “California,” in American College of Mortgage Attorneys’ Mortgage Law Summary (2024)
  • Author, “UCC and Related Issues in Enforcing Defaulted Loans Secured by Real and Personal Property,” in Trigild Deskbook: Guide to Receivership and Foreclosure (7th ed. 2023, 6th ed. 2017 and 5th ed. 2013)
  • Co-author, “California Receivership and Foreclosure,” in Trigild Deskbook: Guide to Receivership and Foreclosure (7th ed. 2023, 6th ed. 2017 and 5th ed. 2013)
  • Co-author, “Into the Forest Primeval – Is It Real Property or Goods; or, Heaven Forbid, Inventory?,” The Practical Real Estate Lawyer (March 2020)
  • Co-author, “Structuring Enforceable Guaranties of California Commercial Real Estate Loans: Avoiding ‘Fault’ and ‘No Fault’ Sham Guaranties and Other Lender Traps,” Business Law News (March 2018)
  • Co-author, “Structuring Enforceable Guaranties of California Commercial Real Estate Loans,” The Practical Real Estate Lawyer (July 2017)
  • Co-author, “Have We Learned Anything from Foreclosing on Pledged Equity Collateral in Real Estate Mezzanine Lending?,” The Practical Real Estate Lawyer (September 2013)
  • Co-author, “Enforcing Defaulted CMBS Loans through Receivership Sales: Risks and Rewards of the Modification, Sale and Assumption Transaction under California’s ‘One Action’ Rule,” CRE Finance World (January 2011)
  • Author, “Complex Collateral for Workouts and Deals,” Business Law News (Issue 2: July 2009)
  • Co-author, “Commercial Loan Recovery 101: How to Obtain Maximum Returns,” Commercial Lending Review (May-June 2009)
  • Author, “Security Interests in Deposit Accounts, Securities Accounts and Equity Interests,” The Eagle 9 Newsletter of the UCC Division of First American Title Insurance Company (Winter 2009)
  • Author, “Enforcing a Mezzanine Loan by Public Foreclosure Sale,” The Eagle 9 Newsletter of the UCC Division of First American Title Insurance Company (Fall 2008)

Classes & Seminars

  • Co-presenter, “Mezzanine Loan Foreclosures: Effecting a UCC Foreclosure Sale and Navigating Bankruptcy Pitfalls,” Strafford Webinar (August 2024 and August 2022)
  • Co-presenter, “Equity Interests as Collateral: Creating and Enforcing Security Interests in Equity of Corporations, Partnerships, and LLCs,” Strafford Webinar (February 2024 and December 2022)
  • Co-presenter, “The Rise of Non-Traditional Remedies,” American College of Mortgage Attorneys Annual Meeting (September 2023)
  • Panelist, “Remedies Potpourri – Beyond Real Property Foreclosure,” American College of Mortgage Attorneys Annual Meeting (September 2021)
  • Co-presenter, “UCC Foreclosures: Overcoming Obstacles to the Sale and Evaluating Receivership and Bankruptcy Alternatives,” Strafford Webinar (November 2019)
  • Panelist, “Legal Lightning Round,” Trigild Fall Lender Conference (October 2018)
  • Panelist, “Hot Legal Issues,” Trigild Spring Lender Conference (April 2018)
  • Co-presenter, “UCC Foreclosures: Overcoming Obstacles to the Sale and Evaluating Receivership and Bankruptcy Alternatives,” Strafford Webinar (November 2017)
  • Co-presenter, “Equity Interests as Collateral: Creating and Enforcing Security Interests in Stocks, Partnerships and LLCs,” Strafford Webinar (March 2017)
  • Co-presenter, “Structuring and Enforcing Commercial Real Estate Loans in California: Strategies for Maximizing Lender Leverage,” Client Presentation (October 2016)
  • Panelist, “Five Minute Tutorials on UCC Foreclosures, New Strategy to Defeat Lender Liability Claims and Other Topics,” CRE Finance Council’s High Yield Distressed Realty Assets Forum’s Fifth Annual Educational Summit (October 2016)
  • Co-presenter, “Mezzanine Loan Foreclosures: Effecting a UCC Foreclosure Sale and Navigating Bankruptcy Pitfalls,” Strafford Webinar (October 2015)
  • Panelist, “Lessons Learned from the Great Recession,” Trigild Lender Conference (April 2015)
  • Co-presenter, “Equity Interests as Collateral in Commercial Lending,” Strafford Webinar (April 2015, August 2013 and April 2012)
  • Co-presenter, “Real Estate Mezzanine Lending: Lessons from Recent Foreclosures for Documenting and Closing the Transaction,” Strafford Webinar (October 2014)
  • Co-presenter, “How to Spot – and Deal With – UCC Security Interest Issues in Sales and Mortgages of Real Estate,” ALI CLE Webinar (September 2014)
  • Moderator, “The Real World: Case Histories of Resolutions by Portfolio Lenders,” Trigild Lender Conference (October 2013)
  • Panelist, “Back to Basics,” Second Annual Educational Summit of CRE Finance Council’s High Yield and Distressed Investment Forum (September 2013)
  • Panelist, “Workout Case Study,” CRE Finance Council’s West Coast Distressed Debt Conference (May 2013)
  • Panelist, “The Rules of the Game,” First Annual Educational Summit of CRE Finance Council’s High Yield and Distressed Investment Forum (September 2012)
  • Moderator, “Special Properties, Special Problems – Part II,” Trigild Lender Conference (April 2012)
  • Co-presenter, “Mortgage Enforcement and Realization,” California Continuing Education of the Bar (January 2012)
  • Co-presenter, “Real Estate Issues for Corporate Transactional Attorneys,” California State Bar Annual Meeting (September 2011)
  • Co-presenter, “Selling Distressed Commercial Real Estate Through Receiverships,” ALI-ABA Webinar (December 2010)
  • Moderator, “How to Deal with Secured Assets Beyond Real Property,” Trigild Lender Conference (November 2010)
  • Co-presenter, “Timber Financing Issues: Real Property, Goods, or Inventory?,” ALI-ABA Webinar (October 2010)
  • Panelist, “Never File Your Own Financing Statement,” Meeting of Commercial Finance and Uniform Commercial Code Committees’ Joint Task Force on Filing Office Operations and Search Logic, American Bar Association Annual Meeting (August 2010)
  • Co-presenter, “Am I in the Money, or Is My Waterfall Running Out of Water?,” Financial Lawyers Conference (January 2010)