Partner
James specialises in private company mergers and acquisitions,
joint ventures and private equity investments. He also advises on
shareholder disputes, partnership arrangements and group
restructurings.
James has extensive experience of managing projects involving
teams of specialist lawyers and other professionals in complex
transactions on tight time scales. He also provides commercial
advice to clients in relation to shareholder and financing issues
and generally on corporate governance matters. He acts for a wide
variety of clients ranging from high net worth individuals to large
corporate groups. He is also the partner responsible for Blake
Lapthorn's Company Secretarial team which provides assistance to
over 700 client companies.
His recent experience includes advising:
- Blade Dynamics Limited, a UK developer of advanced wind turbine
rotors, in connection with international investment; equity
participation and commercial arrangements with The Dow Chemical
Company, American Superconductor Corporation. The deal also
facilitated a $US30 million grant from the State of Louisiana's
Economic Development department for Blade Dynamics to set up a
manufacturing plant in the US, and the entry into a turnkey lease
for the company to use part of NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in
New Orleans, a 40 acre building which was formerly used for
building the space shuttle
- Auto Online Limited and its founder shareholders in securing a
significant strategic investment from Tesco and the entry into
complex commercial arrangements with Tesco enabling its existing
'Carsite.co.uk' website being re-built and re-launched as
'Tescocars.com'
- on numerous private equity transactions, acting for (variously)
investors, target companies, management and debt providers
- Ground Control group of companies on various acquisitions and
restructuring arrangements
- a supporters' group on the take-over of a first division
football club.
