James C. Gorton

Partner

New York
james.gorton@lw.com
+1.212.906.1804

PRACTICES

  • Corporate Governance
  • Korea Practice
  • Mergers & Acquisitions

INDUSTRIES

  • Entertainment, Sports & Media
  • Technology

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • New York

EDUCATION

  • JD, New York University School of Law, 1986
  • BA, Columbia College, 1983

PROFILE

James Gorton represents public and private companies, banks, and private equity firms in mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions, as well as corporate governance matters. He has held a number of leadership roles at the firm, including as former member of the Executive Committee and former Chair of the Strategic Client Committee. In 2021, he was named a M&A Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group based on a survey of US corporate counsel and executives.

James brings particular experience in transactions involving the telecommunications, technology, and financial institutions industries, often with a cross-border component.

Prior to joining Latham, James was the founding general counsel of Global Crossing Ltd., a worldwide telecommunications company.

EXPERIENCE

James's experience includes advising:

  • TradeLens, a blockchain-enabled shipping platform, in its joint venture investment by CMA CGM and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
  • Ocean Network Express (“ONE”) in the acquisition of Atlas Corp., a UK-based global asset management company, by Poseidon Acquisition Corp
  • Hyundai Motor Group in its US$4 billion joint venture with Aptiv to form an autonomous driving platform
  • Siemens in connection with its:    
    • US$7.6 billion acquisition of Dresser-Rand Group, suppliers of custom-engineered rotating equipment solutions for the oil and gas industry
    • US$4.5 billion acquisition of Mentor Graphics Corporation, a provider of software and hardware design solutions for the development of electronic products 
    • US$970 million acquisition of CD-adapco, a developer of computer-aided engineering applications, including computational fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer
    • US$730 million acquisition of Mendix, a developer of low-code software platforms
    • €636 million sale of its water technologies business unit, a provider of the treatment and processing of water and wastewater, to AEA Investors
  • Siemens Healthineers in its US$16.4 billion acquisition of Varian Medical Systems, a global leader in cancer care
  • T-Mobile US in connection with its:
    • Merger with Sprint, a provider of communications services 
    • Acquisition of Layer3 TV, a next-generation television provider offering subscribers television and online video content streaming services
  • Ares Management in connection with its:
    • US$3.4 billion reverse merger of American Capital, a private equity firm focused on employee and management buyouts, with Ares Capital
    • Acquisition of the asset-based lending portfolio of First Capital Holdings, a commercial finance company
    • Acquisition by Ares Capital of Barclays Private Credit Partners Fund, a middle-market corporate loan portfolio
  • Facebook with respect to its terrestrial and subsea fiber network buildout program
  • Electric Lightwave, formerly known as Integra Telecom, a provider of infrastructure and telecom services, in its US$1.4 billion sale to Zayo Group Holdings
  • Credit Suisse in its joint venture with Palantir Technologies to form Signac, a company focused on identifying unauthorized trading in the financial services industry using Big Data analytic tools
  • Bank of America in the sale by its subsidiary Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, of its fixed income, preferred stock, foreign exchange, commodities, and convertible bond indices and related assets to Intercontinental Exchange
  • US Olympic Committee in connection with bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games
  • US Soccer in its bid to host the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cup™, advising the bid committee on all legal aspects of the bid, including commercial and sponsorship agreements, government guarantees, and FIFA rules