James Seddon

Kirkland & Ellis advised Boston-based growth equity firm Silversmith Capital Partners on a $40 million growth investment in UK-based Novatus Global Limited. Novatus Global provides regulatory technology solutions to global financial institutions. The capital from Silversmith’s primary investment will enable Novatus Global to continue to invest in the technology underpinning of its best-in-class SaaS platform while also expanding its geographic footprint. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partner Stuart Boyd and associates Steven Hunter and Izzet Hassan, with assistance from corporate partner Christian Atwood. The team also included technology & IP transactions partner Emma Flett and tax partners Mavnick Nerwal and James Seddon.

Sep 12

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised the Consolis Group, a European leader in precast concrete solutions for the building and utilities sectors, in relation to its successful comprehensive debt and equity recapitalization effective November 28, 2024. The transaction included the provision of a new €198 million secured term loan facility from certain bondholders of Consolis, combined with a three-year extension of the Group’s existing super senior revolving credit facility. The transaction provides for a significant deleveraging of the Group through the debt-for-equity swap of all of the group’s €300 million senior secured notes and the discharge of a €50 million PIK loan incurred by a holding company in the Group. The proceeds from the new term loan will be used to refinance certain of the Group’s existing facilities and provide additional liquidity to the Group to fully fund its business plan. The comprehensive recapitalization transaction was implemented fully consensually, with support from the Group’s sponsor (Bain Capital), bondholders, revolving credit facility lenders and PIK lenders. The Kirkland team included restructuring lawyers Dan Stathis, Kon Asimacopoulos, Hannah Crawford and Angad Sethi; capital markets lawyer Cedric Van den Borren; debt finance lawyers Ben Burton and Deena Smith; and tax lawyer James Seddon.

Dec 2

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis represented Grupo Antolin, a global supplier of automobile interior components, in connection with its offering of €250 million of senior secured notes due 2030 and the amendment and extension of its €515 million senior term and revolving facilities. The proceeds from the notes issuance were used to redeem Antolin’s outstanding €250 million senior secured notes due 2026. Read Antolin’s press release The Kirkland team included capital markets partner Marwa Elborai and associates Will Taylor, AJ Brown and Georg Lorenz; debt finance partners Vanessa Xu and Sherry Khalili and associate Emma Shi; tax partners Mike Carew and James Seddon and associates Cosmos Fung and Grace Bridwell; with support from corporate partner Alvaro Membrillera.

Aug 6

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Morrisons and its shareholder Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) on entering into an agreement to sell 337 Morrisons petrol forecourts (including fuel, convenience retail kiosk and ancillary services) and more than 400 associated sites across the UK for Ultra-Rapid electric vehicle charging development to Motor Fuel Group (MFG). The transaction is valued at £2.5 billion and will form a new strategic partnership between Morrisons and MFG. Read Morrisons’ press release The Kirkland team is led by corporate partners Adrian Maguire, Vincent Bergin, Jessica Corr and Nick Appleton and associates James Whybrow, Callum Alder, William Blakeney and Raphael Khoo; technology and IP transactions partner Max Harris and associates Ben Zeris and Lana Khoury; tax partners Mavnick Nerwal and James Seddon; debt finance partners Christopher Shield and Suroop Kandola and antitrust & competition partner Alasdair Balfour.

Jan 31

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised the ad hoc committee of financial creditors of Spanish steelmaker Celsa Group on taking control of the Group via the first-ever Spanish restructuring plan. The plan was filed at one minute after midnight on the day the relevant legislation become effective. The transaction was fiercely contested by the Group and its existing family shareholders on multiple grounds. The Barcelona Court approved the plan on 4 September, comprehensively dismissing nearly all points of opposition. The decision demonstrates it is possible for creditors to propose and execute a Spanish restructuring plan without the debtor’s consent. The transaction closed on 1 December. Ownership of Celsa Group has now been transferred to its financial creditors pursuant to the plan. The team was led by restructuring partners Sean Lacey, Hannah Crawford, Kon Asimacopoulos and Sarah Ullathorne; debt finance partner Byron Nicol; antitrust & competition partners Sally Evans and Sion Davies; and tax partner James Seddon, with restructuring associates Daniel Stathis, Krista Sirola and Jai Mudhar and debt finance associate Will Knapp. For more information, see our Alert.

Dec 6

1 min