United Kingdom > East Anglia > Corporate and commercial
Corporate and commercial: Cambridge:
Corporate and commercial: Cambridge
Mills & Reeve LLP has the largest regional practice, with a team including Tom Pickthorn, Claire Clarke, Brian Marshall and Zickie Lim, and is ‘proactive, and realistic in its estimates’. The firm advised Xaar plc on raising £15m for expansion; new client FSU Investments on its offer for AIM-listed SDI Group; and Eastern European brewing group StarBev on restructuring after its $3bn acquisition. One to watch, associate Stephen Hamilton is ‘responsive, and has a “can-do” attitude and a good rapport with clients’. The recent hire of Anthony McGurk from Eversheds LLP is a major coup for the firm.
The team at Eversheds LLP, including recommended associate Mark Satterly, is ‘excellent on all counts, particularly diligence, attention to detail and commitment to customer service’. Still a national heavyweight with many clients outside the region, recent deals for the firm include the $615m sale of Kettle Foods to US-based Diamond Foods. Anthony McGurk is now at Mills & Reeve LLP.
Hewitsons LLP has James Lawrence, who ‘dissipates any mystery about transactions’; Jason Williams, who is ‘sage, pragmatic, and never afraid to give an opinion’; John Dix, noted for his ‘quick responses, and great advice with a no-nonsense approach’; and Helen Drayton, who has ‘deep knowledge and a personal touch; her rising star has now ascended’. The team has been active across MBOs, disposals and VC funding matters, including an £8m equity investment in Ranier Ltd.
James Allen at Taylor Vinters combines with the considerable talents of Adam Bradley, Quentin Golder and John Short in a team that has expanded its client base regionally and into London, and draws work from the firm’s new Singapore office. Accountants, banks and large corporates call on its services.
At Taylor Wessing LLP, corporate and venture capital partners Simon Walker and David Mardle, with Tim Worden and Malcolm Bates on commercial and technology matters, have been joined in Cambridge by corporate special counsel Susanna Stanfield. They specialise in collaboration deals, M&A, IPOs and VC funding. New clients include Aveva and Telecom Italia.
Led by the ‘unflappable, considered’ Adrian Seagers, Birketts LLP has ‘quality analogous to a leading City practice’; ‘its experience and skills give complete confidence, and each transaction is partner led’. Seagers advised PetroTechnik on its purchase by Franklin Fueling Systems.
Charles Russell LLP continues to make inroads into the Cambridge market, delivering ‘advice of the highest calibre: clear, risk based and extremely helpful’. James Stephen in particular attracts very high praise from clients. Recent highlights include equity fundraising matters for Green Energy Options.
Young firm Walker Wallis Solicitors ‘responds with comprehensive, relevant advice at short notice’, with a team including the well-known Duncan Walker. Recent international work has included projects in the Far East and Europe, and the firm has also been advising on spinouts of local technology companies. HiWave Technologies is a client.
Woodfines LLP’s Stephen Oliver acted on the establishment of high-end cosmetics company Icon Partnership, and represents a number of Indian companies with UK interests. Inger Anson advised on a £42m listed company takeover.
Corporate and commercial: Ipswich
Corporate and commercial: Ipswich
Birketts LLP ‘provides an excellent all-round service’. The ‘clear and concise’ James Austin, who advised on the sale of controlling interests in Take Care Now Ltd, is praised as ‘efficient, understanding, with a straightforward, common-sense approach’. Corporate finae partner Mark Henry advised Cyden Ltd on funding rounds including a £1m working capital facility.
Ashton Graham’s Paul Whittingham is ‘an excellent communicator with solid professionalism’. The firm appeals to many clients because it is ‘big enough to know, small enough to care’. Petra Sharp is now a partner in the practice, which advises SMEs, listed companies, franchises and UK subsidiaries of foreign businesses.
Blocks continues to advise Norwich and Peterborough Building Society and has many dental practices and doctors’ surgeries as clients. Andrew Fleming garners great respect locally.
Max Harnden’s team at Gotelee Solicitors assisted shareholders with a £2.5m freight company disposal, and advised railway infrastructure contractors on various aspects of a £10m contract with Network Rail.
Kerseys Solicitors delivers an ‘extremely efficient, forward-thinking, personal service’ through James Hayward and consultant Graham Nunn, who are praised for their ‘concise communication and rapid responses’. The team recently handled the share capital purchase of a care home company.
Keith Vincent at Prettys offers ‘extremely good, practical advice with a good understanding of business’. Healthcare work for the likes of Adanat Care features in its recent work, along with the sale of Treatcourt Ltd.
Corporate and commercial: Norwich
Corporate and commercial: Norwich
Mills & Reeve LLP’s team ‘makes a real effort’, and features James Hunter, who has ‘excellent experience, and is pragmatic, commercial and very accessible’; Terry Gould, who ‘provides excellent commercial advice’; corporate finance expert Nick Fischl; and Craig Hodgson. Clients include First Property Group and Adnams.
Birketts LLP’s Adrian Possener advised One Broker on its purchase of an insurance broker. Andrew Wood joined from
‘Practical and cost effective’, Howes Percival LLP ‘impresses with its level of service, good business acumen and commercial pragmatism’. Clients include Ford Retail. Robert Colman’s ‘commercial awareness, admirable legal knowledge and sense of urgency ensure the best possible outcomes’.
At Kester Cunningham John, Edward O’Rourke is ‘always prompt to respond and proactive’; and associate Damian Humphrey comes highly recommended on corporate issues. Recent deals include the merger of a £4.5m supplier to the offshore industry.
Leathes Prior consistently impresses clients thanks to corporate partner Paul Warman, commercial partner Peter Sheppard, and ‘proactive, astute, and thorough’ franchising specialist Jonathan Chadd. National, international and local clients include Derrick Services UK, MAG Group and Norwich City FC.
‘Appropriateness of advice is never in doubt’ at Steeles Law LLP. Nigel Lubbock (‘highly experienced and respected, robust, cultured; he has the energy and drive of ten top lawyers’) recently handled a £50m capital restructuring for an international company. Richard Bailey (who ‘seems to know everything’) and James Tarling also feature in the team.
Specialist franchisor firm Chambers & Co handles national and international work for the likes of Neal’s Yard Remedies and TaxAssist Direct. John Chambers has a growing client base in Dubai.
Tracy Guest at Fosters is ‘very efficient, knowledgeable, timely in her responses and meticulous’, with a practice including M&A, contracts and partnership agreements.
Rogers and Norton’s recent work includes company buybacks, restructurings and the MBO of a local manufacturing firm. ‘Very approachable and constructive’, Richard Etheridge leads a practice that ‘realises that the man in the street needs his hand held at times’, and delivers ‘high quality of service on corporate issues’.
Simon Whipp’s team at Cozens-Hardy LLP focuses on SMEs, and is ‘timely, precise and informative, making clients aware of any risks’, with ‘very quick turnarounds’.
The team at Greenland Houchen Pomeroy handles commercial work mainly for the firm’s many housing association clients, including Flagship Housing Group.
Roger Holden’s aviation practice at Hansells, serving the likes of KLM, continues to thrive. Michael Steward assists local companies in other industries.
‘A small team able to give invariably prompt, commercially aware and personal service’, Hatch Brenner LLP recently assisted two local accountancy firms in converting to LLP status. Nathan Horton is ‘totally committed, and always has an eye on commercial realities’.
Corporate and commercial: Peterborough
Corporate and commercial: Peterborough
At Buckles Solicitors LLP, ‘excellent advice is mixed with a sensible, commercial approach.’ Nigel Moore is ‘sound and practical, and has an easy manner on difficult technical issues’. With an increasingly diverse client base, it recently advised in relation to two Italian wind farms, and acted for US client Baker & Taylor.
Acting for a growing list of local and international clients, Greenwoods Solicitors LLP is ‘always extremely efficient, with knowledgeable and amiable staff’. David Woods and Alastair Gunn are ‘extremely high calibre; they communicate very effectively and with style’.
Anna Spriggs at HC Solicitors is ‘a highly skilled solicitor, and instils confidence from the outset with her assured and knowledgeable advice’. Deals included a £53m refinancing for Anglia Regional Co-operative Society. The firm’s Spanish team advises banks and mortgage lenders on cross-border deals.
Hegarty LLP’s Andrew Heeler is greatly respected and a firm favourite with local businesses. He recently won work for a household brand name, and advised on the reconstruction of a multimillion-pound property company.
Corporate and commercial: Elsewhere in East Anglia
Corporate and commercial: Elsewhere in East Anglia
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- Ashton Graham Bury St Edmunds
- Greene & Greene Bury St Edmunds
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- Blocks Felixstowe
- Fraser Dawbarns King’s Lynn, Wisbech
- Gross & Co Bury St Edmunds
- HC Solicitors Huntingdon
- Leeds Day St Ives, Huntingdon, St Neots
- Metcalfe, Copeman & Pettefar Thetford, King’s Lynn, Peterborough, Wisbech
- Nicholsons Solicitors LLP Lowestoft
- Ward Gethin King’s Lynn, Swaffham
The ‘pleasant and efficient’ Geoff Hazlewood is now a partner at Ashton Graham, which advises many healthcare bodies and franchisors, and has a noteworthy French legal services team.
Greene & Greene is ‘always willing to help’. Chris Thomson (noted for his ‘pragmatism, commercialism and a reassuring dash of aggression’) assisted in securing £4.3m funding for Oakland Care Centre; Simon Ratcliffe is advising on a £20m insurance business sale; and Neil Walmsley handled the $36m refinancing of an international manufacturing group.
The ever-popular Howard Wright at Blocks remains one of Felixstowe’s busiest lawyers, raising the firm’s profile across Suffolk.
At Fraser Dawbarns, new managing partner Tony Cheetham ensures ‘attention to detail, and all contact is excellent’. The firm acts for clients from Fenland to West Norfolk.
Gross & Co’s Graeme Kirk, Nicholas Amor and Jonathan Cobbold are popular with small businesses, notably doctors, dentists and vets.
Andrew Whitehead in HC Solicitors’ new Huntingdon office advised Anglian Regional Co-operative Society on a major refinancing and a £3m purchase.
Leeds Day’s commercial business team, under Andrew Roberts, is winning deals across the region.
Metcalfe, Copeman & Pettefar handled the £17.5m sale of recycling business Pearsons Group. Andrew Davies and Tim Stevenson are well connected in the local business community, and the firm is unusual in having a Portuguese speaker.
Nicholsons Solicitors LLP’s Robert Nicholson and Ben Blower are first choice for owner-managed businesses in Lowestoft.
Ward Gethin’s Penny Lees and Simon Wilson in King’s Lynn, and Simon Fowler in Swaffham, are popular among local entrepreneurs.
Corporate tax
Corporate tax
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- Mills & Reeve LLP Cambridge
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- Birketts LLP Ipswich, Norwich
Mills & Reeve LLP has the region’s only dedicated corporate tax team, featuring Ted Powell, Christopher Townsend and Matthew Short. It recently advised on deals worth over £180m for Railway Pension Trustee Company, while other clients include Acacia Capital Partners.
Birketts LLP’s ‘reliable and cost-effective’ team includes Gavin Birchall and Ben Goodfellow; ‘the expertise is reassuring, the advice first class’. The firm recently advised a UK property company owned by an offshore trust on its reorganisation.
EU and competition
EU and competition
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- Hewitsons LLP Cambridge
- Mills & Reeve LLP Cambridge
- Taylor Vinters Cambridge
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- Barker Gotelee Ipswich
- Birketts LLP Norwich
- Greenwoods Solicitors LLP Peterborough
Luisa Leone at Hewitsons LLP is ‘well informed, quick, very realistic and direct’. She assisted Velux, Van Haren Publishing, and Japanese company Nichino Europe on competition compliance matters.
Mills & Reeve LLP has ‘very good specialist lawyers who are knowledgeable, responsive, and reliable, and have strong customer focus’. Recent work for Raith Pickup includes advising the MoD on a £1bn procurement contract; clients of Kevin Calder are ‘very impressed by his high standard of knowledge’; and Greg Gibson ‘takes time to understand clients’ requirements, and is flexible and creative in finding solutions’.
Litigator Edward Perrott, newly promoted partner Guy Wheeler, Patrick Farrant and Janet Turner QC at the ‘commercially sophisticated’ Taylor Vinters advise easyJet, Spearmark and new client NAAFI. The firm excels in the FMCG and technology sectors.
Consultant Richard Barker at Barker Gotelee is a longstanding, proactive spokesperson for the firm’s many agricultural clients at EU level, and also advises government agencies on evolving CAP policies.
At Birketts LLP, consultant Andrew Wood has extensive competition law expertise, and acts for a large European client base.
EU law and competition compliance are a mainstay of the commercial practice of David Woods at Greenwoods Solicitors LLP, where Darren Morgan’s litigation skills are also often called upon.