Details
James trained and practised in the magic circle before practising in the London office of a Wall Street firm and, most recently, in the London office of another international firm. Before embarking on his legal career, James was a Fellow in English literature in the University of Cambridge, from which he holds a PhD.
James has acted for corporate issuers, financial institutions, sovereign states and supranational organisations in the UK, Europe and the US on private placements, new bond issuances, note programmes and liability management transactions. He also advises clients on securities regulation and listings of debt on London and other European exchanges. James has experience of a range of sectors including banks and other financial institutions, real estate and housing, technology, life sciences, leisure and retail.
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Experience
- Advised numerous UK, US and European issuers and purchasers in connection with private placement transactions (with issuance sizes between £20 million and £200 million);
- Advised numerous corporate and sovereign issuers and underwriters on c.£60 billion of Regulation S/Rule 144a Eurobonds and medium-term note programmes;
- Advised on several benchmark liability management transactions, including US and UK issuers in connection with a consent solicitation relating to outstanding notes totalling c.$10 billion and the inter-conditional tender and exchange offer, inaugural Tier 2 notes offering and further cash tender offer by a Portuguese bank;
- Advised on regulatory capital issuances and hybrid capital securities for European banks and corporate issuers;
- Advised a US bank on the re-establishment of and updates to of its EMTN programme, together with numerous issuances thereunder totalling in excess of $20 billion;
- Advised several UK corporate issuers in relation to the establishment of their ECP programmes.
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Language
- French = Conversational
- Italian = Basic
James Harmer's Expertise
Banking and financial law
