Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance boosts Paris acquisition finance practice

Clifford Chance has today announced that London partner James Butters is transferring to Paris to provide a boost to the firm's growing acquisition finance and corporate debt practice. The transition is expected to be effective on 17 October.

James specialises in cross-border debt financings and other forms of structured and corporate debt, in particular M&A financing and private equity sponsor-led leveraged buy-outs, where he works for a wide variety of financial institutions, corporate and private equity sponsor clients.

James has led transactions in most European jurisdictions, including the UK, France, Italy, the Nordic region, Greece and Poland.

James Butters most recent transactions include advising:

• Bridgepoint on the financing and refinancing of their £423m public to private acquisition of Care UK plc
• AZ Electronic Materials on their debt facilities in the context of their recent £400m  IPO and thereafter
• HSBC Bank plc and Haymarket Financial LLP, as Mandated Lead Arrangers for the senior financing of the £210m leveraged buy-out by Exponent Private Equity LLP of Marlow Foods Limited

Thierry Arachtingi, Partner leading the Acquisition Finance team in Paris says "Our team has been present on all the main transactions in the French market throughout 2010 and 2011, advising both financial institutions and sponsors, and demand for this kind of work has continued to grow in 2011. James' move will help us better service London-based clients investing in France and deepen our relationships with our key leveraged finance and private equity sponsors doing business in France"

Recent track record of the team includes advising:

• Barclays Capital, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Canada on the financing of the acquisition by Advent of Oberthur TSA
• BNP Paribas, Bank of Ireland and Citigroup on the financing of the acquisition of Webhelp by Charterhouse
• Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Axa private equity and Caisse de dépots et de placement du Quebec on the acquisition of the Spie group from PAI
• Société Générale on the financing of the acquisition by TA Associates of DNCA, an asset management company

James has been a Partner in the banking group at Clifford Chance in London since 2005 having been an associate with the firm since 1999. Before that, James practised as a commercial barrister in London. James has a  BA in Jurisprudence (1st class), Oxford University , a LLM of Comparative, European and International Laws, European University Institute, Florence and a LLM, Cambridge University.