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James Went, Partner at Penningtons Manches

Profile

James is a partner in the corporate team in Oxford advising on a wide range of corporate transactions and business issues. His transactional work includes acquisitions and disposals, often with an international element; equity finance for public and private companies, in particular in venture capital funding transactions for technology businesses; debt finance from bank and non-bank lenders; joint ventures; corporate restructuring and re-organisations. He has experience of a broad spectrum of businesses with a particular emphasis on technology, life sciences and publishing. One of his key specialisms is employee share incentives for high growth companies and he frequently advises on the use of EMI and unapproved options, growth shares and other alternative structures.

He also acts for charitable organisations in relation to business structures, constitutional and governance matters and regulatory issues. Work for clients in the education and social housing sectors has included advice on merger, disposal and finance transactions, constitutional changes and regulatory requirements.

James joined the firm in 2001 after training in the City of London. He has a first class degree in law from Lincoln College, Oxford and an LLM from Christ's College, Cambridge.

Recent work highlights

  • Advising the selling shareholders of Oxford University artificial intelligence spin-out Wrapidity on its sale to Meltwater, the global media intelligence company.
  • Acting for Celleron Therapeutics, the UK-based precision cancer medicines company, on its new financing round with a consortium of South Korean investors.
  • Acting for the sellers on the sale of Wild Automotive to The Sertec Group, creating a £250 million turnover business with ten manufacturing plants across the UK, Germany and Hungary.
  • Advising the Ethical Property Company on its £26.5 million loan facility from Triodos Bank to help expand its centres offering workspace for social change organisations.
  • Acting for Williams F1 on its listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the public offering of its shares in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and Austria with a market capitalisation on listing of approximately EUR250 million.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC311575 and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP