James R. Cairns is a partner in the Los Angeles office whose practice emphasizes leasing and equipment finance transactions.

Mr. Cairns has experience with a broad range of secured transactions. He has advised lessors, lessees, lenders, intermediaries and equity interests in a wide variety of leveraged equipment leasing transactions and has particular experience in domestic structured equipment financing and cross-border aircraft leasing and financing. Mr. Cairns' aircraft transactions have involved many jurisdictions, including Canada, China, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He has represented clients in structured lease transactions involving corporate headquarters, manufacturing facilities, railcars, rail lines and stations, ships, containers, and telecommunications, manufacturing and gas production equipment located in the US and in Europe. Mr. Cairns has also represented US-based commercial paper conduits in making investments and in acquiring liquidity.

In addition to his finance practice, Mr. Cairns has represented foreign and domestic investors in the formation, acquisition and sale of U.S. companies, including the acquisition of a US company by a joint venture of Thomson-CSF, Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV and Siemens AG.