James Kelly > DLA Piper LLP (US) > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

DLA Piper LLP (US)
1251 6TH AVE,
NEW YORK, NY 10020-1104
NEW YORK
United States

Work Department

Private Equity; Corporate; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consumer Goods, Food and Retail; Energy and Natural Resources; Healthcare; Industrials; Infrastructure, Construction and Transport; Insurance; Life Sciences; Media, Sport and Entertainment; Technology

Position

Partner; Chair, New York Private Equity

Career

James is a strategic advisor to private equity funds and operating companies across many industries. He focuses his practice on representing private equity funds in all aspects of their investment activities.

His transactions include primary and secondary leveraged buyouts, add-on acquisitions, mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, divestitures and restructurings, including cross-border transactions involving numerous jurisdictions. He also regularly represents public and private operating companies and special purpose acquisition companies, across a variety of industries, including technology, software, video gaming, information, media, entertainment, business services, consumer goods and services, industrials and manufacturing, energy, engineering and infrastructure, food, agriculture, education, healthcare and life sciences.

Education

J.D., Syracuse University College of Law; B.A., University of Washington

Lawyer Rankings

United States > M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)

(Leading Individuals)

James KellyDLA Piper LLP (US)

DLA Piper LLP (US)‘s ‘robust team of subject matter experts‘ serves a diverse roster of private equity sponsors that ranges from middle-market funds, including Stellex and 5th Century, to blue-chip funds such as Accel-KKR and Carlyle. A deep bench of experts across the country enables the practice to handle a large caseload of transactions, ranging from platform deals, strategic partnerships and high-profile exits to advice on mergers and add-ons for growth and portfolio companies concentrated especially in the tech, healthcare, and industrial sectors. The team is also increasingly active in advising investors on buyouts in the energy space, owing particularly to the sector expertise of New York-based lawyer Ilya Bubel. Atlanta lawyer Joseph Silver  leads the firm and has extensive experience handling a wide range of transactions for venture capital and private equity funds as well as for target and portfolio companies. Further key contacts include New York-based leveraged buyout expert James Kelly, Chicago lawyer Harris Eisenberg, who handles acquisitions and exits as well as recapitalizations, and broad transactional expert Gerry Williams, who practices from Atlanta. In Chicago, Benjamin Galea joined the team from Winston & Strawn LLP in September 2023.