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James’ practice focuses on corporate transactions, including public company takeovers, private M&A, private equity, equity capital markets (including IPOs) and a variety of English company law and listed company and corporate governance matters.

James frequently represents private equity firms, investment banks and corporate clients across a range of industries. In recent years he has acted on multiple significant tech-focused exits in the UK as well as on several high-stakes public M&A takeovers. James has particular experience in English law and UK regulation applicable to UK listed companies.

Full Bio

Credentials

Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School, Distinction

M.A., Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge University, honors

England and Wales

Law Society of England and Wales

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m


Legal 500 UK, 2024 & 2025

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market


Legal 500 UK, 2018 – 2022

'Excellent and collaborative with particular strength in technology sector transactions, providing a seamless service on cross border transactions and taking care to understand their client's business needs and objectives. We have worked with James Connor. He is highly impressive with intellectual flair, excellent communication and dedication in taking transactions through to closing.'


Legal 500

Notable Practitioner


IFLR 1000

London Super Lawyers London, M&A


2015

Close

Recognition

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m


Legal 500 UK, 2024 & 2025

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market


Legal 500 UK, 2018 – 2022

'Excellent and collaborative with particular strength in technology sector transactions, providing a seamless service on cross border transactions and taking care to understand their client's business needs and objectives. We have worked with James Connor. He is highly impressive with intellectual flair, excellent communication and dedication in taking transactions through to closing.'


Legal 500

Notable Practitioner


IFLR 1000

London Super Lawyers London, M&A


2015

Matters

Advised UK AI chip designer Graphcore on its sale to SoftBank Group Corp

Advised CurrencyCloud on its US$1 billion sale to Visa Inc.

Advised Busuu on its $436 million sale to Chegg, Inc.

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Matters

Advised UK AI chip designer Graphcore on its sale to SoftBank Group Corp

Advised CurrencyCloud on its US$1 billion sale to Visa Inc.

Advised Busuu on its $436 million sale to Chegg, Inc.

Advised RockRose Energy plc in connection with its recommended £250 million cash acquisition by Viaro Energy

Advised brumbrum on its sale to Cazoo Group Ltd

Advised Dream Games in connection with its private placement of $460 million preference shares

Advised Finimize on its sale to abrdn plc

Advised Aptean, Inc., a Vista Equity Partners, TA Associates and Charlesbank portfolio company, on its £95 million recommended cash acquisition of Sanderson Group plc

Advised Atempo Growth on the establishment of its tech focused venture debt fund and its €250 million joint venture arrangements with Banco Santander SA

Advised Michelin on its acquisition of the Masternaut Group

Advised Aptean, Inc. on its acquisitions of Paragon Software Systems Limited, Systems Integration (Trading) Limited and Prima Solutions Limited

Advised Invisio A.B. on its acquisition of Racal Acoustics Limited

Advised Kognitiv Corporation on the sale of its Intelligent Shopper Solutions business to IRI, a Vestar Capital Partners and New Mountain portfolio company

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with its hostile £8.1 billion cash and share acquisition of GKN plc

Advised KKR in connection with various sales of shares in Pets at Home Group Plc for an aggregate of £407 million by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan in connection with Michael Kors’ £896 million acquisition of Jimmy Choo PLC

Advised Gates Corporation, a Blackstone portfolio company, in connection with its acquisition of the assets of Techflow Flexibles

Advised Twenty-First Century Fox on aspects of its £27 billion offer for Sky plc

Advised Groupe Fnac on its contested £914 million cash and share acquisition of Darty plc

Advised Blackstone on its acquisition of Cirsa Gaming Corporation

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with the sale of its Elster business to Honeywell International for £3.3 billion

Advised Aston Martin in connection with its private placement of £200 million preference shares

Advised Blackstone and CVC in connection with various sales of shares in Merlin Entertainments plc for an aggregate of £1.3 billion by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised Nanjing Cenbest in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in House of Fraser

Advised Pets at Home Group Plc and KKR on Pets at Home’s £1.25 billion London main market IPO

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with the sale of its Crosby and Acco business divisions to KKR for US $1 billion

Advised KKR in connection with its acquisition of South Staffordshire Plc

Advised Apax Partners, Blackstone, KKR, Permira and Providence Equity in connection with various sales of shares in TDC A/S (listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen) by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised KKR and Pets at Home in connection with the restructuring of the Pets at Home management equity programme, a refinancing and reorganisation

Advised First Reserve Corporation in connection with the disposal of its majority stake in Acteon Group Limited to KKR for £400 million

Advised Teleflex Incorporated in connection with its acquisition of Intavent Direct Limited and various assets connected with the laryngeal mask supraglottic airway business of LMA International N.V. in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Channel Islands

Advised Arle Capital Partners Limited in connection with the disposal of the Capital Safety Group to KKR for an enterprise value of US $1.12 billion

Advised Eaton Corporation in connection with the acquisition of Cooper Industries plc in a cash and shares transaction valued at approximately US $11 billion

Advised Blackstone in connection with its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin Group GmbH & Co. from Quadriga Capital and Barclays Private Equity for €600 million

Advised Walter Energy Inc. in connection with its CAD $3.3 billion merger with Western Coal Corp

Advised KKR in connection with its minority investment in Grupo Inaer

Advised KKR in connection with its joint investment with Triton Partners in Ambea AB

Advised Standard Life plc on its £225 million disposal of Standard Life Bank plc to Barclays Bank PLC

Advised M-real Corporation on the disposal of its European graphic paper business to Sappi Limited for €750 million

Advised H.M. Treasury in relation to the merger of HBOS plc and Lloyds TSB plc and its subsequent capital investments, including detailed contingency planning in respect of HBOS plc

Advised Cadbury Schweppes plc on the demerger of its Americas Beverages business and the listing of Cadbury plc on the London Stock Exchange and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange

Advised Cairn India Limited in connection with the reorganisation of Cairn Energy plc’s Indian business and its IPO on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India

Advised The Standard Life Assurance Company in relation to its demutualisation and Standard Life plc on its London main market IPO

Matters

Advised UK AI chip designer Graphcore on its sale to SoftBank Group Corp

Advised CurrencyCloud on its US$1 billion sale to Visa Inc.

Advised Busuu on its $436 million sale to Chegg, Inc.

See more

Close

Matters

Advised UK AI chip designer Graphcore on its sale to SoftBank Group Corp

Advised CurrencyCloud on its US$1 billion sale to Visa Inc.

Advised Busuu on its $436 million sale to Chegg, Inc.

Advised RockRose Energy plc in connection with its recommended £250 million cash acquisition by Viaro Energy

Advised brumbrum on its sale to Cazoo Group Ltd

Advised Dream Games in connection with its private placement of $460 million preference shares

Advised Finimize on its sale to abrdn plc

Advised Aptean, Inc., a Vista Equity Partners, TA Associates and Charlesbank portfolio company, on its £95 million recommended cash acquisition of Sanderson Group plc

Advised Atempo Growth on the establishment of its tech focused venture debt fund and its €250 million joint venture arrangements with Banco Santander SA

Advised Michelin on its acquisition of the Masternaut Group

Advised Aptean, Inc. on its acquisitions of Paragon Software Systems Limited, Systems Integration (Trading) Limited and Prima Solutions Limited

Advised Invisio A.B. on its acquisition of Racal Acoustics Limited

Advised Kognitiv Corporation on the sale of its Intelligent Shopper Solutions business to IRI, a Vestar Capital Partners and New Mountain portfolio company

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with its hostile £8.1 billion cash and share acquisition of GKN plc

Advised KKR in connection with various sales of shares in Pets at Home Group Plc for an aggregate of £407 million by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan in connection with Michael Kors’ £896 million acquisition of Jimmy Choo PLC

Advised Gates Corporation, a Blackstone portfolio company, in connection with its acquisition of the assets of Techflow Flexibles

Advised Twenty-First Century Fox on aspects of its £27 billion offer for Sky plc

Advised Groupe Fnac on its contested £914 million cash and share acquisition of Darty plc

Advised Blackstone on its acquisition of Cirsa Gaming Corporation

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with the sale of its Elster business to Honeywell International for £3.3 billion

Advised Aston Martin in connection with its private placement of £200 million preference shares

Advised Blackstone and CVC in connection with various sales of shares in Merlin Entertainments plc for an aggregate of £1.3 billion by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised Nanjing Cenbest in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in House of Fraser

Advised Pets at Home Group Plc and KKR on Pets at Home’s £1.25 billion London main market IPO

Advised Melrose Industries PLC in connection with the sale of its Crosby and Acco business divisions to KKR for US $1 billion

Advised KKR in connection with its acquisition of South Staffordshire Plc

Advised Apax Partners, Blackstone, KKR, Permira and Providence Equity in connection with various sales of shares in TDC A/S (listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen) by way of accelerated bookbuilt offerings

Advised KKR and Pets at Home in connection with the restructuring of the Pets at Home management equity programme, a refinancing and reorganisation

Advised First Reserve Corporation in connection with the disposal of its majority stake in Acteon Group Limited to KKR for £400 million

Advised Teleflex Incorporated in connection with its acquisition of Intavent Direct Limited and various assets connected with the laryngeal mask supraglottic airway business of LMA International N.V. in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Channel Islands

Advised Arle Capital Partners Limited in connection with the disposal of the Capital Safety Group to KKR for an enterprise value of US $1.12 billion

Advised Eaton Corporation in connection with the acquisition of Cooper Industries plc in a cash and shares transaction valued at approximately US $11 billion

Advised Blackstone in connection with its acquisition of Jack Wolfskin Group GmbH & Co. from Quadriga Capital and Barclays Private Equity for €600 million

Advised Walter Energy Inc. in connection with its CAD $3.3 billion merger with Western Coal Corp

Advised KKR in connection with its minority investment in Grupo Inaer

Advised KKR in connection with its joint investment with Triton Partners in Ambea AB

Advised Standard Life plc on its £225 million disposal of Standard Life Bank plc to Barclays Bank PLC

Advised M-real Corporation on the disposal of its European graphic paper business to Sappi Limited for €750 million

Advised H.M. Treasury in relation to the merger of HBOS plc and Lloyds TSB plc and its subsequent capital investments, including detailed contingency planning in respect of HBOS plc

Advised Cadbury Schweppes plc on the demerger of its Americas Beverages business and the listing of Cadbury plc on the London Stock Exchange and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. on the New York Stock Exchange

Advised Cairn India Limited in connection with the reorganisation of Cairn Energy plc’s Indian business and its IPO on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India

Advised The Standard Life Assurance Company in relation to its demutualisation and Standard Life plc on its London main market IPO

Credentials

Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School, Distinction

M.A., Law, Magdalene College, Cambridge University, honors

England and Wales

Law Society of England and Wales

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m


Legal 500 UK, 2024 & 2025

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market


Legal 500 UK, 2018 – 2022

'Excellent and collaborative with particular strength in technology sector transactions, providing a seamless service on cross border transactions and taking care to understand their client's business needs and objectives. We have worked with James Connor. He is highly impressive with intellectual flair, excellent communication and dedication in taking transactions through to closing.'


Legal 500

Notable Practitioner


IFLR 1000

London Super Lawyers London, M&A


2015

Close

Recognition

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m


Legal 500 UK, 2024 & 2025

Recommended individual: M&A Lower Mid-Market


Legal 500 UK, 2018 – 2022

'Excellent and collaborative with particular strength in technology sector transactions, providing a seamless service on cross border transactions and taking care to understand their client's business needs and objectives. We have worked with James Connor. He is highly impressive with intellectual flair, excellent communication and dedication in taking transactions through to closing.'


Legal 500

Notable Practitioner


IFLR 1000

London Super Lawyers London, M&A


2015