First euro-denominated listing in the FTSE 100
Metlen Energy & Metals (conducted at a previous firm)
London’s largest primary listing of 2025 by market value, with a secondary listing in Athens
Equity capital markets · London
James Koessler
Equity capital markets and public company lawyer in London, on UK, European and transatlantic deals. He advises companies, banks and investors on IPOs, secondary raises and listed-company matters, from listing readiness onwards.
Previously thirteen years at Clifford Chance, in London and Paris. Native French speaker.
Selected experience
Firsts, records and awards
Largest IPO in Europe in 2023
Hidroelectrica (conducted at a previous firm)
IPO and Bucharest listing, the largest in Romanian history
IFR Sustainable Equity Issue of the Year 2023
Largest London listing since Glencore in 2011
Haleon (conducted at a previous firm)
One of Europe’s largest ever demergers, with listings in London and New York, then four sell-downs totalling US$13.4bn
Largest IPO in Europe in 2021
InPost (conducted at a previous firm)
IPO and listing on Euronext Amsterdam of the parcel-locker and e-commerce delivery platform
CEE Legal Matters Poland Deal of the Year 2021
Largest Warsaw IPO and second largest IPO in Europe in 2020
Allegro.eu (conducted at a previous firm)
IPO in Warsaw
IFR EMEA IPO of the Year 2020
First FTSE 100 accelerated placing with a retail offer
Compass Group (conducted at a previous firm)
£2bn cashbox placing, with a retail offer through PrimaryBid
First major UK private equity firm listing in almost 30 years
Bridgepoint (conducted at a previous firm)
IPO and London premium listing
Final step in Greece’s post-crisis bank privatisations
National Bank of Greece (conducted at a previous firm)
Sale of a 10% stake by the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund, with demand nearly 11 times the shares offered
First listing on the Shanghai-London Stock Connect
Huatai Securities (conducted at a previous firm)
GDR offering and London listing
IFLR Europe Equity Deal of the Year 2020
Largest London IPO of 2019
Network International (conducted at a previous firm)
IPO and London premium listing of the Dubai-based payments business
IFR EMEA IPO of the Year 2019
First SPAC under the new UK SPAC rules
Hambro Perks Acquisition Company (conducted at a previous firm)
SPAC IPO in London
IFLR Europe Equity Deal of the Year 2022
One of the first high-profile UK PIPEs since 2009
SIG (conducted at a previous firm)
Investment alongside its £165m equity raise
A fuller list of transactions is available on request.
* Conducted at a previous firm. Clients are named where the matter has been publicly announced.
Client feedback
“James is an incredibly well-rounded practitioner. He is very good with clients and works incredibly well under all sorts of pressure.”
“[James Koessler is one] of the most capable and deal-savvy I have ever worked with.”
“He has strong technical capabilities and is measured in the advice he gives.”
“Excellent technical knowledge, extremely pragmatic, hands-on.”
As published by independent legal directories.
Practice
Equity capital markets work across the life of a listed company, from listing readiness onwards.
Before the listing
- IPO readiness and governance
- For companies preparing to list.
Listing
For issuers, selling shareholders and underwriters.
IPOs; dual and secondary listings; depositary receipts; SPACs; redomiciliations and new holding companies.
Raising more equity
Rights issues; placings and accelerated bookbuilds; PIPEs and cornerstone investments; issues by listed funds.
Major shareholders
- Stake management
- Disclosure, lock-ups, market abuse and governance rights for major shareholders.
- Sell-downs
- Accelerated bookbuilds, block trades and fully marketed offerings.
Life as a listed company
Advice for listed companies and funds.
- Corporate governance and shareholder engagement
- Boards, the UK Corporate Governance Code and engagement with shareholders and investors.
- Continuing obligations
- The UK Listing Rules, the market abuse regime, company law and reporting.
- Capital management
- Buybacks, returns of capital, share capital reorganisations and distributions.
- Delistings
- Cancelling listings and depositary receipt programmes.
Demergers and spin-offs
Demergers; distributions of shares to shareholders.
M&A and restructurings
Public M&A and FCA sponsor work; restructurings and recapitalisations.
He acts for companies and founders, listed funds, private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, sovereign and quasi-sovereign shareholders, and the leading investment banks.
Recognition
Chambers UK, Europe and Global
Associate to watch
Capital Markets: Equity
UK 2025 and 2026Europe 2026Global 2026
IFLR Europe Awards
Rising Star
Global
2025
Financial News (Dow Jones)
Rising star
2026
Selected writing
“A UK company can have the cash to pay a dividend and still be unable to pay it lawfully.”
- 18 August 2026PISCES: the first trading windowsA self-driving car company, a savings app, a board-games maker and a Wiltshire brewer.LinkedIn
- 5 August 2026FCA PS26/16: research and the UK IPO timetableThe end of the seven-day wait for connected research.LinkedIn
- 4 August 2026UK retail access to US IPOsSpaceX and Jersey Mike’s, with no UK-approved prospectus and no UK listing.LinkedIn
- April 2023ESG in the European (UK & Continental Europe) equity capital markets: inching forward?Clifford Chance briefing, lead authorClifford Chance
Background
- Admitted
- Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, 2015
- Education
- Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, with Distinction, The University of Law, 2013LLB Law (European), First Class Honours, University of Warwick, 2012Certificate in French Law, Université Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV, 2011
- Certifications
- AI Strategy for Legal Leaders, Stanford Law School, 2026Legal Engineering Certification, Harvey, 2026
- Languages
- English and French (native French speaker)