James Delesclefs
Partner – Corporate, M&A and Private Equity
With a forward-thinking approach, and enthusiasm for collaboration and relationship building, James learnt early in his career that 'you're only as good as your next deal'. Bringing that mantra and passion to each transaction, James is committed to developing and leading teams of great lawyers with a similar dedication, to find innovative solutions and pragmatically implement clients’ commercial goals. James is a hands-on practitioner, with clients describing him as ‘savvy, technical and business minded, with a flair for meeting all deadlines, getting the right commercial outcome and cutting through the complexity’ (Chambers).
James has more than 17 years’ domestic and international experience counselling corporations, private equity sponsors, founders and management, in all forms of corporate activity. James’s principal practice areas include advising on sell side and buy side private M&A, inbound investment regulation (FIRB), director duties, the full acquisition/sale transaction lifecycle (with ongoing operational matters), shareholder arrangements, employee share schemes and fundraisings. James also has extensive experience in group restructurings, recapitalisations, schemes of arrangements (creditor and equity), in the context of insolvency/ creditor-led transactions or otherwise.
James is dual qualified and he has been involved in numerous transactions in London, New York, Paris and Sydney. He was previously a partner at PwC, Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Kirkland & Ellis. James is bilingual (French native speaker), closely connected to the French, Swiss and American Chambers of Commerce communities and regularly collaborates closely with Business France (in particular in connection with the Commonwealth’s Future Submarine Project).
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Private Equity; Private M&A; Shareholder Arrangements; Management and Employee Share Schemes; Inbound M&A advice (FIRB and structuring); Director Duties.
AWARDS
- Chambers Asia Pacific Guide, leading individual, Private Equity
QUALIFICATIONS
- Admitted to practice in New South Wales and England & Wales
SELECTED REPRESENTATIONS
- Acted for the shareholders of Montessori Academy Group on their transaction with Greentown Education.
- Acted for J2 Global Inc on its acquisition of Fonebox, sale of Web24 and other matters.
- Acted for Real Petfood Company Group and Pepper Group on multi-jurisdictional incentive plans.
- Acted for Intertrust BV on its acquisition of Seed Outsourcing.
- Acted for Gowing Brothers on its acquisition of Surf Hardware International.
- Acted for CVC in connection with the debt-for-equity swap in Nine Entertainment.
- Acted for PPB Advisory on the sale of Darrell Lea (in administration).
- Acted for management of software company MYOB on the acquisition by Bain Capital.
- Acted for global private equity funds Summit Partners, Bain Capital, ICV Partners, H.I.G, Apax Partners, Lion Capital, Apollo Global Management, J.C. Flowers, Sun Capital Partners and others on various Australian acquisitions and management incentive arrangements.
- Acted for domestic private equity funds Pacific Equity Partners, Archer Capital, Colinton Capital Partners, Pemba Capital Partners and others on various acquisitions and management incentive arrangements.