James is a highly skilled corporate lawyer, who routinely advises clients on M&A transactions, capital fundraisings and shareholder arrangements. He particularly works with SMEs, high-growth enterprises and owner-managed businesses as they prepare for exits and other significant capital events.
He also specialises in succession planning for complex and multi-generational family businesses, working closely with private client colleagues, IFAs and accounting professionals to advise on inheritance tax planning and to ensure ongoing business resilience.
Expertise
- Business succession planning
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Corporate advisory
- Restructures
- Shareholders’ agreements and joint ventures
- Advising investors into existing businesses
- Advising businesses that are the subject of investments and capital fundraisings
- Share option schemes
Experience
Corporate
- Advised on the restructure of a large family-owned childcare business to facilitate a smooth transition to the next generation.
- Advised a leading tree nursery in the UK, on a management buyout to help support the management team’s ongoing vision for the organisation and to expand and grow its operations throughout the UK and Europe.
- Acted on a sale of a leading catering hire business in the south of England.
- Advised a substantial construction business in the east of England on its transfer of day-to-day control and management to the next generation whilst continuing to make provision for the founders’ future needs.
- Advised on the hive-across of a successful financial training business and subsequent sale to a global derivatives trading and education company.
- Raised significant funding for multiple clients, including in the EV space and a Cambridge-based science and technology business.
- Acted on a merger between two high-growth media businesses.
- Acted on the sale of a service station by a family business to a national operator.
Commercial
- Advised on and prepared standard commercial terms and bespoke one-off terms for numerous clients including those in the science, technology and entertainment spaces.
- Advised on terms of business for an installer and operator of large-scale EV charging facilities.
- Acted on various distribution agreements, collaboration agreements and service agreements for clients across a variety of sectors, including IT, medical equipment and logistics.
- Acted on shareholders’ agreements for early-stage and high-growth businesses.
- Advised on restructure of a multi-site children’s nursery group.
Career
James qualified as a solicitor in 2007. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2022, he worked at the following law firms:
- Woodfines Solicitors
- Kemp Little LLP
- Fladgate LLP