Joe Bedford > Stevens & Bolton LLP > Guildford, England > Lawyer Profile

Stevens & Bolton LLP  operates out of Guilford, with experience across the range of M&A, Part VII, bulk annuity, and reinsurance transactions in addition to wider regulatory capabilities. The hire of Heidi Sawtell in April 2022 has been a boon to the practice with her experience in working on major corporate transactions and time spent advising the PRA during Solvency II implementation and Brexit. Gary Parnell is the other practice head with his established experience in handling distribution arrangements, affinity partnership projects, outsourcings, IT projects, and insurtech matters. David Steinberg, Joe Bedford, and Jenny Robertson are other key points of contact.

Rated for its ‘practical and hands-on’ approach, the Guilford-based corporate team at Stevens & Bolton LLP provides guidance to public and private companies across all facets of their M&A work, acting on both the buy and sell sides. Praised as a strong alternative to City firms, the team has deepened its international footprint in the last year, advising on a number of complex cross-border deals. Newly appointed practice head Joe Bedford specialises in M&A, sponsor backed transactions, fundraisings and corporate restructurings. Keith Syson‘s broad experience spans M&A, corporate restructuring, fundraisings, private equity-backed transactions, joint ventures and corporate governance. Focused on the technology and insurance sectors, Jenny Robertson is described as an ‘outstanding’ and ‘really knowledgable’ lawyer. Partner Sarah Cardew joined the firm from Irwin Mitchell in October 2022.

In Guildford, the team at Stevens & Bolton LLP has a full-service commercial offering, which handles contract negotiations, transactional work, advisory issues and regulatory matters in key sectors including the retail, hospitality, life sciences and healthcare and finance industries. The corporate team, led by Joe Bedford, regularly advises public and private companies on M&A strategies and is reputable in the management advisory space. Commercial lead Beverley Flynn advises on contracts and procurement, IT and data protection matters. Richard Baxter specialises in M&A, corporate restructuring and governance issues, while Keith Syson has expertise in all aspects of company law and acts as the led partner for private equity and management advisory transactions. Cross-border M&A specialist Nick Atkins and James Waddell are other key lawyers. Jonathan Steele joined from Charles Russell Speechlys LLP in May 2023.