M. Binford "Ben" Williams, Jr.

M. Binford (Ben) Williams, Jr., has over thirty years of experience in large, complex commercial transactions. Ben's practice is fast-paced and, on a regular basis, includes nuanced structures, innovative financing alternatives with his lender and borrower clients alike, and acquisitions and mergers of businesses . His work includes significant representation of lenders in commercial loans (C&I, real estate, bonds, interest rate swaps), developers in the development, construction, and operations of complex real estate projects (apartment complexes, manufacturing facilities, shopping centers), and corporations in acquisition of subsidiaries and properties. He serves as outside general counsel for several corporations in various industries.

Ben is listed in Best Lawyers In America® and in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He has been selected as a Lawyer of the Year in multiple areas including Mergers & Acquisitions Law, Project Finance, and Commercial Finance Law.

He has practiced at Watkins & Eager since graduating from law school in 1986. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the firm's Executive Committee and a co-practice leader of the Commercial Lending and Finance Practice Group. Ben served as the firm's Managing Member from 2003 - 2015.

Along with Molly Jeffcoat Moody, Ben is a co-author of Commercial Finance 701, a continuing series on commercial loans written exclusively for the Mississippi Business Journal. The series is geared to lenders, developers, investors and transactional attorneys.