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Browne Jacobson LLP has a six-partner corporate team, while four partners handle commercial projects ranging from technology transfer and licensing matters to EU and competition law. Commercial highlights – for the ‘unlawyerish’ Mark Snelgrove (who has ‘good business acumen’), Sharon Jones, Caroline Green and Simon White – included advising luxury brands in the perfume, clothing and automotive sectors on sponsorship and services agreements; and outsourcing agreements for a major discount retailer. On the corporate side, Gavin Cummings, Mark Hughes and Shaun McCabe acted for the seller in the MBO of Synseal Group and sale to HIG Europe, while Oliver Pritchard acted for Alliance Boots in the sale of nine pharmacies to Morrisons.

Eversheds LLP has a reputation for understanding businesses from large multinationals such as Rolls-Royce to start-ups in the renewable energy sector. The team, headed by the ‘supersmart’ Stephen Kitts, consistently demonstrates its status as the region’s pre-eminent plc, equity and capital markets team, and acted on Experian’s sale of its customer analytics database to BSkyB. Stephen Hill assisted Homesun in the financing and structuring one of the UK’s first solar PV offerings; and the ‘proactive’ Jon Cox-Brown advised the offeror on Sulzer’s £128m takeover of Castle Support Services.

Freeth Cartwright LLP is recognised as having a leading presence in the region for corporate finance transactions. Clients range from FTSE-100 listed Experian to NASDAQ-quoted Dollar Financial and the privately owned LNT Group. John Heaphy, Karl Jansen and the ‘very commercial’ Philip Raven are recommended as ‘always professional, timely, and value for money, with good strength in depth’. In 2010, Heaphy led a team advising the shareholders of Omega Red Holdings on its sale to South Staffs plc. Raven leads on the group’s acquisitions of care sector concerns and properties, such as the sale of Sterling Homecare to City and County Healthcare.

A steady stream of transactions, with a combined deal value of £100m, kept Gateley busy in 2010, with clients awarding ‘very high marks for pragmatism, no-nonsense advice and drive to get things done on time and to budget’. Practice head Austin Moore stands out ‘particularly for his vast experience, charisma and pragmatism. He drives deals proactively and makes things happen’. Corporate finance specialist Mark Rutherford acted on several secondary buyouts and acquisitions for PJD Group and Paul Kilbride in 2010; and Anna Mayfield’s international financing and transactional experience was called into play on matters involving jurisdictions ranging from the Netherlands (a joint venture for the Thameling Group) to Cyprus and the US.

Geldards LLP is ‘always willing to invest to make sure they have the knowledge the client’s business requires’, and has attracted a diverse range of clients, in particular from the automotive, energy, and healthcare sectors. A distinguishing feature of the six-partner group is its international-facing transactional experience; 2010 saw it advise on cross-border private equity, joint venture and M&A deals involving Germany, Poland, Canada, USA and India. David Tilly advised the management team of Synseal Extrusions on its MBO, opposite Eversheds LLP; and Andrew Borkowski led the advice to the shareholders of Derby-based Prevx on its sale to US-based Webroot. Clients ‘cannot speak too highly’ of Ian Thomson, who ‘provides an excellent, professional and personable service’. One client describes the team as ‘the best I have worked with’.

Shoosmiths’ team ‘epitomises professionalism’. ‘They are just what in-house counsel requires – very experienced; intelligent; commercially minded; and supreme negotiators.’ ‘Sensible and straightforward’ plc specialist Chris Garnett is active in supporting British Gas on a string of acquisitions; ‘transaction specialist’ Crispin Bridges Webb acted for SAI Global in its acquisition of Foodcheck; and Michelle Sherwood and ‘outstanding client contact manager’ Andrew Pickin led on various business-critical contracts and outsourcing agreements for multinationals. Peter Andrews is ‘recommended for competition law and anti-trust matters’, and has ‘a good sense for European legislation’.

Flint Bishop LLP ‘provides an excellent, first-class service’ to clients in the Nottingham and Derby area and beyond, including Peveril Securities. In 2010, head of corporate Ran Oren handled several trade sales and group reorganisations, including the sale of JW Glass to Autoglass and the MBO of Metclad Contracts. David Miller has taken over as head of commercial following Andrew Pilkington’s move to Fraser Brown.

Nelsons Solicitors Limited hired two new partners in 2010, bringing in David Kaplan from Keelys LLP to head up the Derby corporate team; and commercial specialist Karen Harrison from Shoosmiths. The pair advised an aerospace client on a substantial cross-border (US/ UK/Middle East) divestment of companies to its joint venture partner. Commercial and technology group director Jim Carter gives ‘very balanced, thorough advice’, and continues to advise Filtrona; recent matters include analysing customer and supplier agreements relating to group business transfers. Corporate head Duncan Taylor advised The Farmright Group and Bombardier on acquisitions. Commercial specialist Michelle Craven was active in relation to worldwide IP and licensing arrangements.

Shakespeares (previously Berryman) has a strong corporate finance practice. Roger Harcourt takes the lead on panel work from Santander and Lloyds TSB, and advice to the group’s healthcare-sector clients. Head of corporate Duncan James focuses on MBOs, MBIs, and business sales and purchases. Patrick Billyeald’s insolvency expertise is brought to bear on corporate reorganisations and disposals in the group’s £1m-£30m deal range. Highlights for 2010 included advising the shareholders of technology company Managed Communications on its sale to Daisy Group; and acting on the €22.5m disposal of a Purico Group subsidiary to Finnish Ahlstrom Corporation.

Actons’ ‘depth of knowledge is second to none. The quality of advice is excellent, appropriate, entirely sound, concise, honest and reliable’. The ‘switched-on’ Simon Dakin regularly acts for the London branch of a Spanish finance house in relation to the financing of acquisitions, and in 2010 advised a US technology company on the £50m financing of a UK joint venture. He is ‘very approachable, and has good attention to detail’. Peter Flowerday ‘excels in his consummate professionalism, thoroughness, depth of knowledge, accuracy, clarity and comprehensive advice’.

Fraser Brown continues to build on the corporate and commercial foundations which were laid in 2009 with the appointment of corporate and banking head Gavin White from Flint Bishop LLP. Former Flint Bishop LLP colleague Andrew Pilkington joined in 2010 and leads on the commercial front, focusing on franchising and sports law, and boosts the firm’s existing franchising practice, where Robin Wright spearheads advice on all aspects from establishment in the UK, to drafting agreements and resolving disputes.

Clients have ‘total confidence’ in Smith Partnership, where Fiona Boxwell and the ‘fair-minded and rational’ Fraser Cunningham are praised for their ‘immense technical qualities and ability to convey legal terms in an understandable way’. Boxwell focuses on transactions for healthcare clients, and in 2010 was active across a range of MBOs, share sales, restructurings and acquisitions. Cunningham focuses on commercial contracts for OMBs and corporates.

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