Handles cross-border and domestic financial restructuring, special situations, workouts and insolvency.
Band 1 ranked for Restructuring and Insolvency by Chambers UK

James practices in the areas of cross-border and domestic financial restructuring, workouts and insolvency, and advises clients in relation to strategic and legal issues concerning their distressed debt and special situations investments. He is consistently recognised as a market leader in his practice area in all major legal rankings surveys. James has broad knowledge in a range of different business sectors including telecommunications, packaging, paper, transport, mining, automotive, energy and power. James is known as the leading practitioner in the London market for Norwegian and other Scandinavian restructurings, as well as restructurings in the offshore, oil and gas and shipping sectors.

Representative Work

Adler: Counsel to the ad hoc group of holders of certain German-law bonds in relation to the amendment of certain terms through an English Restructuring Plan.
Constellation Auto: Counsel to the majority preference shareholders in the comprehensive recapitalisation of Constellation Automotive Group, a European leader in precast concrete solutions.
Consolis: Counsel to an ad hoc group of noteholders and lenders on the comprehensive restructuring of the Consolis Group, a European leader in precast concrete solutions.
Oi: Counsel to an ad hoc group of lenders on the financial restructuring of Oi, the third largest telecommunications company in Latin America.
Hurtigruten: Counsel to the ad hoc group of lenders on the refinancing of Hurtigruten AS, a Norwegian cruise line and coastal ferry business.
Nostrum: Counsel to the ad hoc group of noteholders on the financial restructuring of Nostrum Oil & Gas plc, an oil and gas exploration and production company operating in Kazakhstan.
PGS: Counsel to the ad hoc group of term loan lenders to PGS, the Oslo-listed holding company for a global seismic imaging group, in the financial restructuring of US$872 million of the company’s debt.
Swissport: Counsel to the payment-in-kind (PIK) loan lenders in relation to the US$1.9 billion financial restructuring of Swissport, an aviation services company.

Dolphin Drilling: Counsel to the largest lender on the financial restructuring of Dolphin Drilling ASA (formerly known as Fred. Olsen Energy ASA), an offshore drilling rig company.
Weatherford: Represented the ad hoc noteholder committee on the multi-jurisdictional restructuring of Weatherford International plc, one of the world’s largest oilfield services firms with operations in over 80 countries.
Norske Skog: Represented the senior secured noteholders in connection with a financial restructuring of Norske Skog, a Norwegian paper production group.
Seadrill: Counsel to the ad hoc group of bondholders in relation to the first financial restructuring of Seadrill Limited and on the restructuring via a Bermudan provisional liquidation and pre-pack chapter 11 of Seadrill New Finance (now called Paratus Energy) in 2022.
Digicel: Counsel to an ad hoc committee of holders on exchange offers made in respect of bonds issued by Digicel Group Limited.

"Clients love James. He's committed, clever and thinks around all the problems in a case."

Chambers UK, 2026

Education
L.P.C., The College of Law, Chester, 1994
LL.B., University of Leeds, 1993

Bar Admissions
Solicitor, England and Wales

Recognitions

Chambers UK, Restructuring/Insolvency, 2017-2026.
Chambers Global, Restructuring/Insolvency.
Chambers Europe, Restructuring/Insolvency, UK.
The Legal 500 UK, Leading Individual: Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail.
Who’s Who Legal, Thought Leader, Restructuring & Insolvency.
Euromoney, Expert Guide, World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers.
Euromoney, Expert Guide, Banking, Finance and Transactional Law.
IFLR1000 UK, Restructuring and Insolvency.
Best Lawyers UK, Insolvency & Restructuring Law.