James is a partner in the corporate team in Penningtons Manches’ London office and leads the digital business group. He joined the firm in 2011, having previously been a partner with a Silver Circle law firm. Prior to that he trained and qualified at the world’s largest law firm. With a broad range of corporate finance and commercial expertise, he has advised on a wide spectrum of transactions including numerous domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, reorganisations and joint ventures. James has been recommended by The Legal 500 as providing ‘exactly what an in-house GC needs’.
He also has a strong track record advising on private equity transactions having acted for many management teams and private equity/venture capital houses on numerous mid-market deals. His recent (and historic) private equity and larger corporate clients include Avista Capital Partners, Barclays, Bank of America, Brunswick Group, Fujitsu, Gresham, Montagu Private Equity, NASDAQ, National Grid Plc, Pacific Crest Securities, Pearson Plc, Tate & Lyle Plc and Yelp.
James heads the firm’s San Francisco office and assists clients who are looking to set up or expand their business into the UK or who wish to enter the UK market through investment or acquisition. He also spearheads the foreign direct investment (FDI) team which is a multi-disciplinary offering to the firm’s overseas client base.
Recent work highlights
- Advising a Swiss-listed provider of positioning and wireless semiconductors on its UK acquisition of 4M Wireless.
- Acting for a leading global venture capital seed fund on a number of UK investments and exits.
- Advising Tate and Lyle PLC on the investment by its subsidiary, Tate and Lyle Ventures Limited, of up to £30 million in a new venture capital fund.
- Acting for a leading US life sciences company on its cross-border acquisition of the business and assets of a UK medical devices company.
- Advising a FTSE 100 media and technology company on a sizeable (undisclosed) restructuring.