James Halliday

James Halliday is a seasoned corporate M&A lawyer with over 25 years of experience in top-tier law firms and as in-house counsel. As a Consulting Principal, he focuses on public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other corporate and commercial transactions. James was previously a partner at Baker McKenzie and served as Corporate Counsel at Singtel Optus, enhancing his breadth of expertise. James's experience extends into the infrastructure, construction, technology, and communications sectors. He has gained recognition for his insightful contributions to these fields, including co-authoring a published book on the Australian communications industry. He possesses extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, guiding companies—including early-stage businesses—through corporate governance, documentation, and fundraising efforts such as seed funding and capital raising. His work with joint ventures and corporate advisory matters, including risk management, is well-regarded. His proficiency in infrastructure project work, project finance structuring, and wholesale commercial contracting is demonstrated through his involvement in major transactions and agreements. James adeptly handles corporate reorganisations, insolvency reconstructions, and has been instrumental in significant sales and buy-back transactions. His notable M&A experience includes advising confidential funds and financial services providers on high-value acquisitions and complex roll-up programs. James also has significant experience in restructuring and project work, having advised on the deployment of multi-national projects, including submarine cable systems. In recognition of his contributions, James has been acknowledged by Chambers and Partners and was a recipient of the Lexology Client Choice Award in 2016 for his work in mergers and acquisitions. James holds a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney. Throughout his career, from Solicitor at Clayton Utz to partner roles in prestigious firms, he has consistently delivered exceptional legal counsel and strategic insights.