James Crooks

JAMES CROOKS focuses his practice on leveraged finance and general debt financing transactions, advising private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers, credit funds and other financial institutions across an extensive range of debt products including mid and large-cap leveraged financings, public takeover financings, asset backed financings, stressed and distressed situations and complex financings into regulated sectors with particular depth of experience in the financial services, insurance, healthcare, pharma, tech and sports industries in which he has delivered innovative, first-in-kind solutions on some of the most high profile transactions in the market.

James has received acknowledgement from numerous industry ranking guides:

• Chambers UK 2025 – Ranked for Banking & Finance: Mid-Market, where clients note that: “James has assisted us with a wide range of situations of varying degrees of complexity and we always appreciate his attention to detail, commercial awareness and the quality and clarity of his advice”, “James is a fantastic lawyer with great market insight and ability to problem solve” and that “it's great to work with James. He has excellent commercial vision and responsiveness in a tight timetable”.
• Legal 500 UK 2025 – Recommended for both Acquisition Finance and Infrastructure: M&A and Acquisition Financing, with clients saying “James Crooks just knows where the market is and can guide clients deftly through how and where to push on terms, while not delaying execution timelines with unreasonable positions” and that “James Crooks is a leading finance lawyer; James brings a huge amount of market insight and knowledge to every transaction, with experience working across the capital structure”.
• Chambers UK 2024 – Ranked for Banking and Finance where sources note: “James is an excellent lawyer who is able to lead stakeholders through complex situations” and that “James is very pragmatic, responsive and always willing to jump in on ad hoc requests. We found his advice very pointed and salient”.
• Legal 500 UK 2023 – Recommended for Acquisition Finance, with clients saying “The acquisition finance team has proven itself to be an extremely valued partner in our negotiation and risk assessment of all legal matters. The team brings innovation and diversity of thought in all discussions with lenders, being commercial and providing insightful guidance relative to market context”.
• IFLR1000 2020 – Listed as a Notable Practitioner for Banking and Capital Markets: Debt.
• The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’ list 2020.

Prior to joining Sidley in 2016, James was a partner in the corporate and financial services practice of another international law firm.

Recent examples of James’s work include representing:

• SINGU, a leading European provider of commercial real estate management software, on the strategic investment by K1 Investment Management, LLC, and combination with Micad.
• STORY3 Capital Partners, the Los Angeles based private equity firm, on its significant minority investment in Adanola, a leading UK-based athleisure and activewear brand.
• H.I.G. Capital and PolarDC Group Limited on the structuring and first-phase financing of a multi-phase project to deliver a leading data centre designed for High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications in Norway.
• J.C. Flowers & Co., a private investment firm dedicated to investing in the financial services industry, in its acquisition of Pepper Advantage.
• Great Hill Partners on the sale of BigChange, a leading field service management software company, to Simpro Group.
• Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, Inc. in the Sale of Summit Leasing, a leasing company in Slovenia and Croatia.
• Pictet Alternative Advisors in its acquisition of Technology Services Group Limited.
• Carlyle on a financing and investment into a UK sponsor-backed financial services business.
• Great Hill Partners on its pending strategic majority investment in a newly formed organisation comprising existing client Vivup, a leading provider of health and well-being benefits (having worked on the group’s initial management buy out with Omni Partners and ongoing debt financing arrangements), and Perkbox, an award-winning global benefits and reward platform, which will combine to offer a market-leading solution for the UK’s public and private employee benefits sectors.
• Francisco Partners on the leveraged financing for the acquisition of Macrobond, a leading provider of economic and financial intelligence software.
• Bilkul Football in its acquisition of West Bromwich Albion Football Club.
• Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. in its acquisition of Chelsea Football Club and related affiliates in a consortium co-led with Todd Boehly, Chairman and CEO of Eldridge.
• Representing HeadFirst Global on its recommended offer to acquire AIM-listed Impellam Group for approx. £483.2 million.
• Pictet Alternative Advisors in its acquisition of Pareto FM.
• Savillex Corporation, a portfolio company of private equity fund Thompson Street Capital Partners, in its strategic acquisition of ONFAB from Foresight Capital Partners.
• Cello Health Limited on its disposal of Digital Technology Advisory Group.
• KKR on its majority acquisition of Biosynth Carbosynth, a Swiss life sciences reagents and custom synthesis and manufacturing services company.
• Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, on expanding the shareholder base of International Schools Partnership, a leading international group of K-12 schools.
• KKR on its acquisition of Argenta, a leading animal pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company.
• Travelex on its financial and operational restructuring.
• Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) and Managed Market Insights & Technology (MMIT) in connection with MMIT’s US$1.6 billion merger with Evaluate, a London-based provider of commercial intelligence and predictive analytics to the pharmaceutical industry. Upon completion of the merger, WCAS, and Evaluate’s equity partner, Hg Capital, will share joint control of the combined business.
• EQT Private Equity and PRO Unlimited in connection with PRO Unlimited’s acquisition of Workforce Logiq.
• Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in connection with its investment in MMIT.
• Arsenal Capital Partners in connection with various matters including its leveraged financing of Lumanity.
• EQT Private Equity in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of PRO Unlimited.
• TowerBrook Capital Partners on the acquisition of the Azzurri Group.
• OrbiMed on its investment in Mereo BioPharma.
• TowerBrook Capital Partners on the acquisition of CarTrawler.
• GHO Capital Partners LLP on its acquisition of Ardena.
• Global Loan Agency Services Limited as facilities agent, GLAS Trust Corporation Limited as existing security agent and TMF Trustee Limited as new security agent, on the restructuring of BARTEC, a German manufacturer of explosion safety equipment.
• Compass Partners International and Rodenstock Group, a German manufacturer of high-quality progressive lenses, in connection with the refinancing of Rodenstock’s senior debt with a €395 million cov-lite TLB.
• Losberger De Boer Group on its financial and operative restructuring.
• Wendel SA on the arrangement of €1.34 billion of senior term and revolving facilities established in connection with its acquisition of the Constantia Flexibles Group from One Equity Partners and subsequent 2016 repricing of TLB debt.
• Aquiline Capital Partners on the arrangement of senior term and revolving facilities established in connection with its acquisition of the Simply Business Group from AnaCap Financial Partners.
• Insight Venture Partners on the arrangement of senior term and revolving facilities established in connection with its acquisition of the Fourth Group from ECI Partners.
• Famar on the successful restructuring, recapitalization and strengthening of its capital structure.   
• Empire Resorts, Inc., in a strategic alliance with an affiliate of bet365 Group Limited to develop a physical and online sportsbook at Resorts World Catskills. 
• Sankaty Advisors and GE on the arrangement of first lien term and revolving facilities and second lien term facilities in connection with the acquisition by Five Arrows Principal Investments of the Karnov Group.
• Platinum Equity on the arrangement of a €50 million super senior revolving credit facility and €225 million senior secured notes in connection with its acquisition of the Worldwide Flight Services Group from LBO France.
• Platinum Equity and the Worldwide Flight Services Group on the arrangement of a €35 million increase to an existing super senior revolving credit facility and issue of €100 million senior secured notes and €140 million senior unsecured notes in connection with their acquisition of the Consolidated Aviation Services Group from ICV Partners.
• Triton, Rhone Capital and Orion Engineered Carbons in Orion’s €780 million post IPO debt refinancing.
• UBS, Unicredit and Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna’s €10 million super senior revolving credit facility for Twin Set Group.
• Bain Capital and IMCD in IMCD’s €400 million post IPO debt refinancing.
• CVC Capital Partners and Parex in the financing, including a €100 million super senior revolving credit facility and €550 million floating rate senior secured high-yield bonds due 2021, of CVC’s acquisition of Parex.
• Univar B.V. in its €200 million European asset backed financing.
• Apollo Management International in connection with its investment in Stemcor’s restructured term loans and trade finance and borrowing base facilities.
• GTCR in the £217.5 million senior and £62 million mezzanine debt financing of its acquisition of Callcredit Information Group.
• Mid Europa Partners in its acquisition of a majority stake in MediGroup, a Serbian private healthcare provider.
• CCMP Capital Advisors and Phoenix Equity Partners in the £130 million financing of the proposed merger of The Gym Group and the Pure Gym Group.
• Hastings Insurance Group (Finance) plc in connection with its £20 million super senior revolving credit facility and offering of £266.5 million 8% senior secured fixed rate notes due 2020 and £150 million senior secured floating rate notes due 2020.
• Bain Capital and Maisons du Monde in the financing, including a €60 million super senior revolving credit facility and the offering by MDM of €325 million 9% senior secured notes due 2020, of the acquisition of Maisons du Monde by Bain Capital.
• Bayside Capital in its £9 million financing of JZI’s acquisition of Winn Solicitors.
• Sun Capital and DBA Apparel in DBA’s €75 million senior secured debt financing.
• CVC Capital Partners and ista in the financing, including €1.6 billion senior facilities and the offering by ista of €350 million 5% senior secured notes due 2020 and €525 million 6.875% senior subordinated notes due 2021, of the acquisition of ista by CVC Capital Partners.
• HIG Capital and Freedom Finance on the SEK 350 million unitranche financing of its acquisition of Freedom Finance.
• Sun European Partners in the acquisition/bridge financing (by Bank of Montreal) of various portfolio companies.