James Goodall

Experience

1. Vice President and Counsel

   The D. E. Shaw Group

   Jan 2025 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Lead attorney supporting Firm\'s Deal-Contingent trade strategy. Establish precedent Deal-Contingent trade confirmations for Firm funds with a large portfolio of bank counterparties. Work with Front Office and across from bank counterparties and their external counsel to draft and structure deal-specific terms for Deal-Contingent trades with foreign exchange, interest rate and equity derivative underliers.• Draft and negotiate various agreements with a large portfolio of bank counterparties, broker-dealers and their external counsel to document complex structured derivative, prime brokerage, repurchase, futures and options transactions, including Deal-Contingent trade confirmations, Equity Derivative trade confirmations, Credit Default Swap trade confirmations, Total Return Swap trade confirmations, ISDA/CSA agreements, Prime Brokerage agreements, GMRA and MRA agreements, guarantees and related ancillary documentation.• Advise internal stakeholders on key credit, legal, regulatory and operational issues relating to the structuring and execution of complex derivative, prime brokerage, repurchase, futures and options transactions, including, without limitation (i) the drafting and review of (x) margining, settlement and early termination mechanics and (y) credit support/security documents and representations/covenants and (ii) the applicability and impact of various regulatory regimes.• Support ABS strategy of investing in debt instruments issued by CLO issuers by (i) reviewing and analyzing the terms of offering documents and indentures in respect of such debt instruments and (ii) drafting and negotiating subscription agreements used to effect purchases of such debt instruments.• Support Credit Opportunities strategy by counseling internal stakeholders on investments in bilateral and syndicated financing structures secured by a variety of bespoke and non-standard collateral, including in the form of equity interests in the relevant borrower or issuer.

Education

• Western University

  M.A., History

• Western University

  B.A. (Hon.), Honors Specialization in History

• Rutgers Law School

  J.D.

• University of Toronto

  Academic credit gained toward B.A. (Hon.) as visiting student

Skills

• Westlaw
• Arbitration
• Mediation
• Legal Writing
• Microsoft Excel
• Lexisnexis
• Alternate Dispute Resolution
• Negotiation
• Microsoft Office
• Research
• Teaching
• Legal Research