James Scicluna

Practice Areas

His main areas of expertise are M&A, corporate finance, company law, gambling regulation, devising strategic commercial solutions within a regulated environment, IPR licencing, sponsorship, brand development and protection. James also has experience of advising business owners and senior executives on their estate planning and succession, together with WH Partners’ private client and tax teams.

Work Highlights

-Acting for Palasino Holdings, a gaming and leisure group in connection with its IPO and the successful listing of Palasino Holdings Limited on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX)

-Acting for Entain plc in its acquisition of STS Holding S.A, the leading Polish sports-betting operator

-Acting as lead counsel for Thynk Software Ltd, a software development company, on the sale of several of its tech assets to RightShip Malta Limited, a subsidiary of RightShip Singapore, the world’s biggest third party maritime due diligence organisation, providing expertise in global safety, sustainability and social responsibility practice

-Advising salesforce.com, inc., the global CRM leader, on the Maltese law aspects of its landmark acquisition of Slack Technologies, Inc, the operator of the innovative enterprise communications platform “Slack”, including advising on merger control strategy and obtaining transaction clearance

-Advising the Malta Gaming Authority on the drafting of the Gaming Act (2018, Chapter 583 Laws of Malta)

-Acting for Betclic in its sponsorship of Juventus Football Club, Lech Poznan, S.C. Braga and other Portuguese Primeira Liga and Segunda Divisao teams, Trentino Volley, as well as endorsement agreements with Marcel Desailly, Anderson Luis de Souza (aka Deco), and Arrigo Sacchi, amongst others

Career

James Scicluna is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WH Partners. He is a Malta Advocate and a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, with extensive experience in both private practice and in-house legal roles. Prior to founding WH Partners in 2012 with Olga Finkel, James held senior legal positions including Chief of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs and General Counsel for a leading European online gambling operator and practised in the corporate & commercial team of a top-50 London law firm.

Professional Memberships

He is a member of the Malta Chamber of Advocates, Law Society of England & Wales, International Masters of Gaming Law, International Association of Gaming Attorneys, and the International Bar Association, where he serves as an officer of the Leisure Industries Section and Chair of the Online Entertainment & Gaming Committee.

Publications

James has authored numerous articles and contributed to authoritative industry publications including The Gaming Law Review and The Mergers and Acquisitions Review, and regularly speaks at international conferences on gambling regulation and M&A trends.

Education

Languages Spoken

James speaks English, Maltese, Italian and French.

Clients

James’s clients include major industry players in regulated sectors, spanning multinational gaming operators, financial institutions, private equity and corporate investors.

Awards

Expert in these Jurisdictions

James’s work spans multiple jurisdictions, supported by WH Partners’ offices and network across Malta, Italy, Romania, the UAE and desks covering Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.