Image of James Ashcroft

James Ashcroft

Senior Associate

James has extensive experience in cross border leveraged finance, with a specific focus in advising lenders on the crossover of leveraged and infrastructure finance transactions across a wide range of infrastructure asset classes (including digital infrastructure, energy and utilities).
James has experience advising across the capital structure on senior and subordinated financing structures for acquisition, refinancing and capex roll-out transactions.

Experience

Representative matters

  • The arrangers and underwriters in relation to Telecom Italia’s disposal of NetCo, the business unit for its fixed line network.
  • The arrangers and underwriters in connection with the proposed acquisition by GIP and KKR led consortium of a stake in Vantage Towers AG, a leading telecoms tower company in Europe.
  • The arrangers on the refinancing of ContourGlobal plc (following working on the financing of its acquisition, refinancing and backstop facilities made available to finance KKR’s recommended offer for it), a British power generation business owning 138 power plants in the Americas, Africa and Europe, split between its thermal and renewables divisions.
  • The lenders on the separate standalone refinancings of each of KKR’s and Equitix’s successful circa £2bn public-to-private for John Laing PLC, developer and operator of infrastructure projects across the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America and Australia.
  • The lenders on the GBP2.815bn refinancing of Viridor, a leading recycling, resource and waste management company controlled by funds managed by KKR (following working on the financing for its GBP4.2bn acquisition).

Qualifications

Admissions

Solicitor, England and Wales, 2017

Academic

LLB, Law (First), King’s College London, 2014
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.