James Seddon
Overview
James Seddon is a corporate tax partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.
He has a broad practice, covering the taxation of corporate, finance and restructuring transactions across a range of sectors.
Alongside his significant experience in M&A, capital markets and restructuring transactions, James also has valuable experience in contentious and employment-related tax issues, group reorganisations and reconstructions, fund structuring, secondary transactions, and real estate development and investment.
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Kirkland, James has been involved in the following matters:
- GIC on the investment in Synthon
- Consolis Group to complete a successful recapitalization
- GIC on the acquisition of an additional stake in Belron
- Grupo Antolin to complete a successful debt refinancing
- Antolin in connection with its offering of €250 million senior secured notes and the amendment and extension of its €515 million senior term and revolving facilities
- An ad hoc committee of creditors, including Strategic Value Partners, Cross Ocean and Deutsche Bank, on the successful $2.2 billion restructuring of the Intu SGS Group
- Morrisons and its shareholder Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on entering into an agreement to sell petrol forecourts to MFG and take a minority stake
- Financial creditors of Celsa Group on the first Spanish restructuring plan
- Brookfield on the recapitalization of Schoeller Allibert
- Brookfield on a series of real estate financings for its Befimmo (Belgium) and Hibernia (Irish) office portfolios, raising approximately €2 billion
- Hipgnosis Songs Capital on its proposed acquisition of 29 music catalogs from SONG
- Flint Group on its €1.3 billion recapitalization
- IDEMIA Group on the amendment and extension of its revolving credit facility and cross-border TLB facilities
- A consortium led by Sandbrook Capital on the acquisition of NeXtWind Capital
- Sandbrook Capital on the equity commitment in Voltwise Power
- Bristow Group in its entry into new term loan facilities
- Sandbrook Capital on the $500 million Partnership with PSP Investments to Fund Havfram
- Altera Infrastructure L.P. in pre-arranged Chapter 11 cases filed in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas
- Silversmith Capital Partners on the $55 million growth investment in Gearset
- Brookfield on the sale of Student Roost to a joint venture formed between GIC and Greystar
- G.S. Precision, a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners, on the acquisition of F.T. Gearing Systems
- Oakley Capital on the acquisition of a majority stake in TechInsights by Oakley Capital IV, alongside CVC Growth
- EW Healthcare Partners and other shareholders on the €750 million sale of EUSA Pharma to Recordati
- Blackstone in its $1 billion partnership with Hipgnosis Song Management
Prior to joining Kirkland, James’ experience included the following matters:
- Otto Group on the partnership with Advent International for Hermes UK and Hermes Germany
- Avianca, OneWeb and SeaDrill Chapter 11s
- Piraeus Bank on the carve-out of its €27.3 billion NPL portfolio and sale of a majority stake in its non-performing exposures servicing unit to Intrum
- Ad hoc group of PIK noteholders in connection with the sale of Young’s Seafood
- Senior old money committee on the restructuring of Abengoa
- Del Monte Pacific on the part disposal of its Philippines business
- Infrastructure private equity fund on the disposal of its LatAm renewables portfolio to a Chinese SOE
- M&G Investments on aviation fund investment and strategic partnership with SKY Leasing
- Transatlantic metallurgy group in its restructuring and recapitalisation
- Private investment group on the spin-out of its private equity impact investment arm
- Rolling stock leasing group on various structuring and corporate transactions
- Sovereign investment fund in its investment in various UK development projects
- Infrastructure groups on various UK development and infrastructure projects
- Connect Plus (25), the M25 project company, in its £1.28 billion refinancing
- AVEVA Group in its £1.7 billion combination with Schneider Electric’s industrial software business and return of value to its shareholders
- BGC Partners in its acquisitions of Besso Insurance Group and Ed Broking in, respectively
- Numerous investment managers, including Bain Capital, ICG, King Street, Natixis, Oak Hill, Oaktree and PineBridge, and arrangers on CLO and related transactions since the advent of ‘CLO 2.0s’
- UK insurance services group on the successful defence of its VAT arrangements
- Barclays, Numis, Peel Hunt and Berenberg as the underwriting syndicate on the £575 million IPO of Sabre Insurance Group
- Punter Southall Group on the disposal of its actuarial, investment consulting and pensions administration businesses to Xafinity
- Abertis on the €495 million investment in its Chilean toll road business by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
- Punter Southall Group on the merger of P-Solve with River and Mercantile and acting for the newly-formed River and Mercantile Group in its subsequent IPO
- Hypothekenbank Frankfurt A.G. (formerly Commerzbank’s Eurohypo business) on the disposal of its €5 billion UK commercial real estate portfolio and London branch operations to Wells Fargo and Lone Star
Prior Experience
Milbank, London
- Associate, 2018–2021
Ashurst LLP, London
- Senior Associate, 2016–2018
- Associate, 2012–2016
- Trainee Solicitor, 2010–2012
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
“VAT Focus – Bookit/NEC: End of the Line for Card Handling Fees?,” Tax Journal, June 2016
“Summer Finance Bill – The Debt and Derivative Rules,” Tax Journal, July 2015
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2012, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
Education
- BPP Law School, LondonLegal Practice Course2010
- City Law SchoolGraduate Diploma in Law2009
- Keble College, University of OxfordM.Sc., Chemistry2008
News &
Insights
- Press Release Kirkland Advises the Consolis Group on its Successful Recapitalization
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Silversmith on Growth Investment in Novatus Global
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Antolin on Successful Debt Refinancing
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Morrisons and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice on £2.5 Billion Sale of Morrisons Petrol Forecourts
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Brookfield on Successful Recapitalisation of the Schoeller Allibert Group