M. Binford "Ben" Williams, Jr.
Awarded Practice Areas
Biography
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.
Overview
- Ethnicity: White
- University of Mississippi, J.D., graduated 1986
- University of Mississippi, graduated 1983
- University of Mississippi, graduated 1986
- Mississippi, The Mississippi Bar
- Mississippi, The Mississippi Bar
- University of Mississippi, J.D., graduated 1986
- University of Mississippi, graduated 1983
- University of Mississippi, graduated 1986
- Ethnicity: White
Client Testimonials
Awards & Focus

- Corporate Governance Law, Jackson, MS (2026)
- Project Finance Law, Jackson, MS (2024)
- Project Finance Law, Jackson, MS (2022)
- Corporate Compliance Law, Jackson, MS (2020)
- Project Finance Law, Jackson, MS (2018)
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Jackson, MS (2017)
- Project Finance Law, Jackson, MS (2016)
- Commercial Finance Law, Jackson, MS (2014)
- Banking and Finance Law
- Commercial Finance Law
- Commercial Transactions / UCC Law
- Corporate Compliance Law
- Corporate Governance Law
- Corporate Law
- Derivatives and Futures Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Project Finance Law
- Real Estate Law
- Economic Development Law
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Acquisition Finance
- Bond Finance
- Commercial
- Corporate Finance
- Development
- Finance
- General Corporate
- Industrial Revenue Bond Financing
- Land Use
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Multi-Family Housing
- Project Development
- Real Estate
- Real Property Law
- Secured Transactions
- Shopping Center Transactions
- Tax Certiorari
- Transactions
- White-Collar Criminal Defense
- Workouts and Restructurings
- Chambers USA-America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Real Estate (2007-2014)
- Mid-South Super Lawyers® (2011 - 2013, Banking)
- Best Lawyers in America®, Jackson, Mississippi Lawyer of the Year ( 2017 - Mergers & Acquisitions; 2016 - Project Finance Law; 2014 - Commercial Finance Law)
- Best Lawyers in America® (2007-2017, Commercial Finance Law, Commercial Transactions/UCC Law, Corporate Law, Project Finance Law, Real Estate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions)
News & Media
Additional Information
Case History
- Interest Rate Swaps (Derivatives)
- Multi-Family Housing \ New Construction
- Commercial Loans (C&I)
- Letter of Credit - New Construction
- Gaming - Senior Secured Credit Facility
- Mergers & Acquisitions
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