JAMES OUSSEDIK has considerable experience in relation to the establishment and maintenance of investment funds, funds of one and managed accounts, co-investments, investor negotiations, and related legal and regulatory issues. James is group head of the Investment Funds practice in the London office, which undertakes a full range of private fund formation work, together with representations of certain major institutional allocators to private funds.
James advises a broad range of sponsors and investors, covering the establishment of all types of private funds, and advice to sovereign wealth funds, seed investors, pension funds, family offices and financial institutions, across a range of private and public market strategies. James’s sponsor practice is particularly strong in credit-related strategies of all types across the liquidity spectrum, including credit opportunities, corporate funding solutions, litigation funding, special opportunities and special situations/distressed. James also has particular experience of advising spin-out managers on the structuring of management arrangements and fund formation, as well as joint venture arrangements and co-investments for both sponsors and investors.
James’s recent experience includes advising:
- An established sponsor on the launch of a PE-style fund focused on providing private market funding solutions to SMEs in Europe.
- A leading credit manager on the formation of a PE-style fund focusing on investments in European structured credit.
- Several established and emerging sponsors on the launch of private funds focused on litigation funding opportunities in Europe.
- An established sponsor on the launch of a private equity fund focused on acquiring “fintech” businesses.
- A large spin-out manager on the formation of its inaugural fund focusing on multi-strategy credit investments.
- A major sovereign wealth fund on private fund investments, co-investments, funds of one and managed accounts.
- A European seed investor on numerous seed investment transactions.
- Several institutional market participants on multiple secondary acquisitions and sales of large portfolios of LP interests in private funds.
Most recently, James has been recognized in Chambers Europe 2021 for Investment Funds: Hedge Funds. James has also been ranked for Investment Funds: Private Equity: Credit Funds and Investment Funds: Hedge Funds in Chambers UK 2021, with clients describing him as “very much results-orientated and is very focused on efficiency.” According to clients in the 2021 edition, “[h]e is very good to work with; practical, responsive and reasonable.” In the 2019 edition, clients noted that he is “very proactive, very commercial and very responsive,” with a “strong grasp of the technicalities.” He has also been recognized for Private Funds in Who’s Who Legal 2016 and 2017, with peers telling the publication that “his practice continues to go from ‘strength to strength,’” and he has been acknowledged as “Highly regarded” by IFLR1000 2019.
James received his LL.B. from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is bilingual English/French.