Harper Macleod LLP

Partner

James is a partner in our corporate team, whose practice regularly deals with high value complex corporate transactions.  He regularly advises family businesses and owner managers on the sale of their businesses and acquirers of such businesses across a range of sectors.  He has wide experience of transactional corporate matters focusing on mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and disposals as well as investments (including venture capital transactions), shareholder arrangements, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations, demergers and succession planning.

Examples of deals which James has advised on include:

• Acting for Halfords on the acquisition of Scottish-based family owned McConechy's Tyre Service in a deal comprising of 330 skilled employees across 60 sites in Scotland and the North of England.
• Acting for the Tchibo group (one of the leading coffee and food service providers in Europe) on the acquisition of the Scottish headquartered and family owned Matthew Algie.
• Acting for the KKR backed Webhelp group on UK aspects of KKR's exit from the Webhelp group to Belgian-based investment holding company Groupe Bruxelles Lambert in a deal with a reported enterprise value of circa €2.4 billion (having previously acted for the Indian-owned Hero group on the sale of HEROtsc now known as Webhelp UK to the Webhelp group in a deal with a reported enterprise value of £77m).
• Acting for the Webhelp group on corporate transactions including acquisitions from Serco as well as the acquisition of owner managed OEE Consulting and its subsequent merger with Webhelp group company Gobeyond.
• Acting for the Kent Foods group on various transactions including the buyout of Connacht Gold together with the acquisitions of owner-managed Velgrove Foods, Paramount Chocolate, Baileys of Portsmouth and Henley Bridge Ingredients.
• Acting for the Balmer family on the sale of a 68-bed care home and 58 bed care home to Renaissance Care.
• Acting for leading independent Scottish accountancy practice Campbell Dallas on the acquisition of its business by the Baldwins Group.
• Acting for the founders of leading energy services firm Everwarm on its merger with Lakehouse (creating an enlarged group with annual sales of circa. £240m).
• Acting for the owner managers of Castle Computers on its sale to Kick ICT Group in a deal that was reported as creating Scotland's largest independent IT services business specialising in the SME market.
• Acting for various clients on group reorganisation projects including demergers, share buy backs and capital reductions.

LLB (Hons) Dip LP