James Heller
Biography
James is a Partner in the Baker McKenzie Corporate Group based in London. He principally advises large corporates, infrastructure funds and other financial sponsors in relation to cross-border mergers and acquisitions, shareholder arrangements and joint ventures. James has experience working cross-sector but has a particular interest in infrastructure, energy and industrials transactions.
In 2024, James was recognised by Legal500 as a Key Lawyer in both upper mid-market/premium M&A (£750m+) and Infrastructure M&A.
James has a special interest in Japan-outbound transactions, having advising many large Japanese corporates on European and global transactions. James chairs UK Japan Connect, the Firm’s legal and business forum that helps build greater cooperation between legislators, government, trade and industry associations and Japanese businesses in both London and Tokyo. James is also a member of CityUK’s Japan Market Advisory Group which helps to advance the UK’s relationship in financial and related professional services with Japan. James has completed a secondment with a trading house in Tokyo, working as a deal and projects advisor for the energy, renewables and chemicals sectors.
James is also one of the Firm's leading advisors with respect to warranty and indemnity insurance and related deal-risk products, advising clients on policy placements around the globe.
Representative Legal Matters
- Advising Hitachi on its USD 11 billion acquisition and carve out of ABB’s power grids business (largest ever outbound Japanese infrastructure deal).
- Advising Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation on their acquisition of Smarter Grids Solutions Limited, a software provider for power grids and other distributed energy resources.
- Advising Vertiv, a provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions on its USD 2 billion acquisition of E&I Engineering, a leading provider of electrical switchgear and power distribution systems.
- Advising Fiera Infrastructure's global infrastructure fund, EagleCrest, on its acquisition of IslaLink, the Spanish independent telecom fiber infrastructure platform.
- Advising Fiera Infrastructure on its acquisition of a 50% equity interest in Isle of Wight ferry operator Wightlink from Basalt Infrastructure Partners (and related syndication).
- Advising APG on its establishment of a 50:50 joint venture with Royal KPN for the roll out of c.910k fiber connections in semi dense and rural areas of the Netherlands. The joint venture is valued in excess of EUR 1 billion.
- Advising the selling shareholders of MagicLab on their EUR 3 billion sale of the MagicLab group (comprising dating apps Bumble, Badoo, Lumen and Chappy) to Blackstone.
- Advising Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund on the divestment of its stake in Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône (a French toll-road network) to two long term institutional investors.
- Advising L'Oréal on its c.EUR 1 billion disposal of The Body Shop to Natura Cosmeticos.
- Advising Daimler Mercedes-Benz on its establishment of a joint venture with Via for the operation of an on-demand shared ride service in Europe.
- Advising Merit Medical, a US-based medical devices company, on its acquisition of STD pharmaceuticals, its first pharmaceutical business.
Admissions
- England & Wales (Solicitor)~United Kingdom (2013)
Education
- College of Law at London (Legal Practice Course, with distinction) (2010)
- College of Law at London (Graduate Diploma Law, with commendation) (2009)
- University of Oxford (BA Theology, Hons, Received University Exhibition Award and Undergraduate Academic Scholarship) (2008)
Languages
- English
Previous Offices
- Beijing
- Tokyo