James McNicol
James is an executive counsel in the Australian finance and restructuring practice.
James is a highly experienced finance lawyer in Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer's finance and restructuring practice, advising clients on bespoke funding solutions for the opportunities and challenges they face.
James has a strong focus on structured finance, alternative and hybrid capital solutions, and specialised funding for leveraged through to challenged credits. He advises leading private credit managers, banks, corporates and government on a broad range of mandates, including private credit facilities, fund finance, second lien debt, asset based lending, structured asset and project financing, loan portfolio sales, secondary debt trading and workouts. He brings deep market knowledge and a strong track record acting on a variety of complex, cross-border mandates.
James has extensive experience advising on performing, stressed and distressed investments, including complex cross-border financings, restructurings, workouts and secondary transactions. His hands-on market knowledge, combined with broader experience across asset classes and situations, enables him to support clients across the full investment lifecycle, from capital deployment through to workouts, distressed opportunities and value realisation.
James also has deep expertise in the aviation and shipping sectors, where he advises investors, lenders, asset owners and operators on a variety of financing, leasing, trading and contracting.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- Advised Mercuria Energy Group in relation to the acquisition out of a deed of company arrangement, and recapitalisation, of Bowen Coking Coal and its mining assets and operations in the Bowen Basin of Central Queensland
- Advised Yancoal Australia on its A$1.35 billion secured contingent liability facilities and on the financing of its US$1.85 billion acquisition of an interest in the Kestrel coal mine in Queensland
- Advised PGIM Real Estate as junior lender in relation to a A$300 million secured property development loan facility
- Advised QIC in relation to the senior secured and unsecured loan facilities supporting various QIC real property funds and related liquidity matters
- Advised Deutsche Bank and Polus Capital on the debt restructuring of Vroon Offshore Services, and related new secured debt facilities*
- Advised MUFG in relation to a US$75 million senior secured revolving credit facility for Sun Country Airlines, secured by a combination of aircraft, engines, spare parts, inventory, receivables, and cash*
- Advised BNP Paribas in relation to a US$412M secured term loan for Wizz Air, utilizing an A/B loan structure combining bank debt and private capital*
- Advised Citibank and other lenders in relation to the US$1.65B secured financing for Macquarie AirFinance’s acquisition of the assets of ALAFCO*
- Advised Crédit Agricole CIB and other lenders in relation to the work-out and restructuring of a secured loan facility for a commercial property in Sydney
- Advised GemLife Group in relation to its post-IPO ~A$700 million senior secured and transactional debt facilities
- Advised Nordic Aviation Capital in relation to the successful restructuring of approx. US$6.3B of its secured and unsecured debt, implemented through a pre-arranged U.S. Chapter 11 process*
- Advised CDPQ (now La Caisse) in relation to the establishment of a US$1.5B global aircraft acquisition, financing and leasing platform*
* Transactions advised on prior to joining HSF Kramer.
Sectors
Background
James holds both a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and is admitted in Queensland.
Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, James worked at a magic circle law firm in London and New York.
