James Moriarty

Jim Moriarty is a partner in the firm’s Private Equity group. His practice focuses on representing middle-market private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. He also represents strategic buyers. Jim handles a wide variety of transactions, including acquisition and sale transactions, leveraged buyouts, growth equity financings, recapitalizations, joint ventures, and management equity arrangements, across a wide variety of industries. In the past few years he has been particularly active with deals in the following sectors: industrial, manufacturing and distribution services; education technology and other education businesses; and financial services. 

Jim’s recent representative experience includes:

• Advised Quad Partners in connection with its:
  • Sale of Streamline Brands to Youth Enrichment Brands
  • Growth equity investment in 15Five
  • Acquisition of Berlitz Corporation and ELS and combination with ILSC Education Group to form Language Education Holdings
  • Acquisition of eSpark
  • Growth equity investment in Vivi
  • Acquisition and subsequent disposition of Blue Cliff College
  • Acquisition and subsequent disposition of Inside Higher Ed
  • Portfolio company The Gardner Schools in its add-on acquisition of The Compass Schools
  • Acquisition and subsequent disposition of Noel-Levitz*
  • Sale of TargetX to Liaison International*
  • Acquisition of (and several add-on acquisitions for) TargetX*
  • Acquisition and subsequent disposition (to Warburg Pincus) of Stratford Schools*
  • Sale of SchoolAdmin to Finalsite*
  • Sale of Cayuse to Primus Capital*
  • Acquisition of SchoolAdmin*
  • Acquisition of The Gardner School*
  • Acquisition of Watermark (f/k/a Taskstream) and subsequent disposition to TCV*
  • Acquisition of Interfolio and subsequent disposition to Insight Partners*
  • Acquisition and subsequent disposition of Rubicon*
  • Acquisition of ILSC Education Group*
  • Portfolio company Cayuse in its add-on acquisition of NTM Consulting Services
  • Portfolio company Streamline Brands in its add-on acquisition of Saf-T-Swim*
  • Sale of Endeavor Schools to Leeds Equity Partners*
  • Growth equity investment in Endeavor Schools*
  • Portfolio company Watermark (f/k/a Taskstream) in its add-on acquisitions of LiveText and Tk20*
• Advised Coral Tree Partners in connection with its:
  • Portfolio company Subject Matter in its acquisition of Kivvit
  • recapitalization of Subject Matter
• Advised MFG Partners in connection with its:
  • Sale of Storage Solutions to Jungheinrich
  • Recapitalization of A-Z Industries
  • Recapitalization of CST Utilities
  • Sale of Alliance Environmental to Incline Equity Partners
  • Portfolio company Storage Solutions in its add-on acquisition of EMIT
  • Portfolio company Storage Solutions in its add-on acquisition of SNC Solutions
  • Recapitalization of (and several add-on acquisitions for) Mellott Company
  • Recapitalization of Storage Solutions*
  • Recapitalization of Alliance Environmental*
  • Recapitalization of Elgen Manufacturing*
  • Recapitalization of Mail Communications Group*
• Advised Alliance Environmental, a portfolio company of Incline Equity Partners, in connection with its:
  • Add-on acquisition of ThermaTech Northwest
  • Add-on acquisition of Pacific HVAC
  • Add-on acquisition of F.S. & G.S. Services
  • Add-on acquisition of the abatement and remediation division of Construction Group International
• Advised Education Growth Partners in connection with its:
  • Investment in ClassWallet
  • Investment in Uwill
  • Sale of Apex Learning to Edmentum
  • Growth equity investment in BetterManager
  • Growth equity investment in Kangarootime
  • Sale of HCI
  • Growth equity Investment in Emtrain
  • Acquisition of  in Apex Learning*
  • Acquisition of All Campus*
  • Growth equity investment in Capp & Co. Ltd. (UK)*
  • Growth equity investment in TIGER 21*
  • Growth equity investment in Fuse Universal*
• Advised Lumos Capital Group in connection with its:
  • Growth equity investment in Transfr
  • Growth equity investment in BookNook
  • Growth equity investment in Podium Education
  • Growth equity investment in OpenClassrooms*
  • Growth equity investment in Ironhack*
  • Growth equity investment in Ellevation*
• Advised Perceptyx, a portfolio company of TCV, in connection with its:
  • Add-on acquisition of Cultivate
  • Add-on acquisition of Waggl*
  • Add-on acquisition of CultureIQ*
  • Add-on acquisition of Kantar’s Employee Insights business*
• Advised Watermark (f/k/a Taskstream), a portfolio company of TCV, in connection with its:
  • Add-on acquisition of Aviso Retention
  • Add-on acquisition of SmartCatalog*
  • Add-on acquisition of EvaluationKit*
  • Add-on acquisition of Digital Measures*
• Advised Storable, a portfolio company of EQT, in connection with its add-on acquisition of Molo*
• Advised Stone Point Capital in connection with its:
  • Sale of Oasis Outsourcing to Paychex*
  • Recapitalization of Prima Capital Advisors*
  • Sale of Access Point Financial to Wafra Capital Partners*
  • Growth equity investment in SumRidge Partners*
  • Growth equity investment in Preston Hollow Capital*
  • Sale of Lancaster Pollard to Orix*
  • Growth equity investment in Applied Systems*
  • Growth equity investment in Broadstone Real Estate*
• Advised TriSpan in connection with its:
  • Portfolio company Prestige PEO Holdings in its acquisition of APR Advantage
  • Portfolio company Prestige PEO Holdings in its add-on acquisition of StaffLink Outsourcing
  • Portfolio company Prestige PEO Holdings in its add-on acquisition of PathGoal Employer Services*
  • Acquisition of Prestige PEO Holdings*

* Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Jim was most recently a partner at and co-chair of the corporate department at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Prior to Kramer, he was a partner at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

Jim is recognized as a leading transaction lawyer by Chambers USA (2016 – 2024) and Legal 500 US (2011 – 2018, 2024).

Jim’s recent publications include:

• Quoted, “Reps and Warranty Coverage Goes Downmarket,” The Deal, February 8, 2019

Jim’s recent speaking engagements include:

• Speaker, “M&A Trends — The Next Evolution on De-Risking Deals,” Markets Group’s Private Equity US Spring Forum, May 4, 2021
• Speaker, “The Impact of the Novel Coronavirus on M&A Deal Activity, R&W Insurance, and Due Diligence,” Beecher Carlson’s COVID-19 M&A Update, Webinar, May 7, 2020