We are experts in dealing with corporate and commercial transactions in the increasingly complex world of 21st century business.
Our versatility extends beyond our general corporate advisory service to include all the non-contentious corporate issues and transactions that face the following clients:
- Private companies – from global organisations to SMEs and start-ups.
- Entrepreneurs.
- City based businesses and financiers.
- Partnerships establishing ventures.
- Not for profit organisations including registered providers and charities.
The issues we can deal with range in scope from one-off transactions that involve a small number of shareholders through to complex multi-national transactions involving multiple institutional, corporate and individual investors. No matter your size, the area you work in or the problems you are facing, we’ll be able to put together a team to help.
Expertise
Our corporate team is rapidly expanding. Our expertise ranges from start-ups to mergers and group consolidations; corporate acquisitions and disposals; buybacks, management buy-outs and buy-ins; fundraisings and joint ventures (including LLPs); and shareholders’ agreements. We have specialists in amalgamations (including transfers of going concern), group structures and intra group reorganisations including capital reduction demergers. We regularly support our clients on corporate mergers or grouping documentation. We can also carry out or help you to carry out any due diligence required spanning governance, finance, property, IT, HR, procurement, litigation and loan consent requirements. Our commercial team is also experienced in all forms of commercial contracts including IT supply contracts.
The fact that our firm is partner-led means that our Corporate team is able quickly to draw upon the expertise of other departments such as Property and Litigation and the centralised pooling of information within our London office (in line with issues of confidentiality) means that all of this combined experience is at the fingertips of each and any client. We realise that some of our more commercially minded clients might wish to run their own negotiations and we are happy to provide back-up expertise in such cases. Recognising the need for versatility alongside specific expertise, we have developed industry knowledge in areas such as fintech, the financial advice sector, healthcare, facilities management, logistics, construction and IT.
Recent notable transactions include:
- Advising London & Quadrant Housing Trust on:
- The acquisition of a 51% interest in a Joint Venture to deliver the Barking Riverside regeneration scheme; and
- The acquisition of Gallagher Estates in a deal worth approximately £505m;
- Advising Sodexo on its share acquisition of The Good Eating Company, a leading London based contract caterer
- Acquisition of various businesses for Trek Bicycle Corporation by way of share or asset purchase
- Advising on substantial private equity investments in consultancy, medical and pharmaceutical businesses.
Owner-managed businesses
We advise business owners and those funders and professionals that support them. We are owner-managers ourselves and understand the intersection between the particular needs of the individuals who own a business and those of the business itself. Our experience means we are able to anticipate the variety of issues faced by business owners and provide comprehensive solutions.
Experts in the Housing Sector
As our clients are all too aware, controls imposed by regulators are becoming stricter and more limiting over time, and the same tends to be true of any general legislation. This means that corporate deals in regulated sectors are inevitably becoming more and more complicated. The good news is that, running in parallel with our corporate business, we advise regulators such as the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The fact that we are so heavily involved in the setting up and administration of regulations means that we are uniquely placed to advise our clients on their impact.
When undertaking substantial acquisitions for example, we can fit the transaction within multiple regulatory regimes, ensuring that all the right boxes are ticked. Not only is this a supremely valuable position, but it is one that we have cultivated for 40 years. The fact that we also know all the players in a given sector means that we can offer flexible, innovative structures to our clients, turning difficult problems into simple solutions.
Our Information Team
Our cross-departmental Information Team consists of specialists from our housing management & property litigation, employment, litigation & dispute resolution and corporate teams, advising a large array of clients on data protection and freedom of information issues.
Personal Treatment
We understand that each corporate client is different, and so we take the time to invest in a genuine relationship with each one, making sure that we fully understand their business and the industry sector in which they operate. We consult and liaise at every stage of the process, making sure that the client feels fully involved and informed and shares control of events. The work carried out by our Corporate Team covers a broad range of legal topics and disciplines including banking, property, employment, financial services, regulatory issues, intellectual property and information technology. We have developed a reliable network of accountants, tax advisers and consultants.
