The Legal 500 > United Kingdom - Solicitors > East Anglia > Corporate and commercial: elsewhere in East Anglia

‘The team looks for practical solutions to complex issues. Its members work well together and coordinate communication with client. The firm provides good value for money and is both creative and hardworking. Available when needed, the team provides diligent and timely work to extremely tight deadlines.‘

‘Mark Henry is very business-savvy and solution-oriented. He is also a good lateral thinker.‘

‘Emma Bysouth provides excellent attention to detail and follow up.‘

‘Birketts offers a wide spectrum of legal expertise, coupled with a depth of industry-specific knowledge that is exceptional to the region.‘

‘In addition to first-class technical knowledge, Alexandra Nelson offers superb client support. Alexandra Nelson and Emma Bysouth consistently deliver a high-quality service that exceeds client expectations and delivers solid results that have both enabled and protected the business.‘

‘Mark Henry, Alex Nelson and Emma Bysouth work well as a team. They are incredibly committed to getting deals done and always go the extra mile to ensure deals are concluded in a timely and efficient manner.‘

‘I recently completed a very complex M&A transaction with the firm. It involved 32 different country jurisdictions with four of them being critical to a successful deal being completed. The team moved seamlessly with local counsel in identifying and negotiating all of the critical issues. They also were able to move from position to position and accommodate deal structure changes without losing the focus or economic benefits for the client as situations evolved and obstacles arose. I do not believe that a Magic Circle firm could have achieved any better result and their costs were a fraction of what would have been expected by such a competing larger firm.‘

‘I would definitely recommend them to anyone and use them again for complex, international transactions that required dedication, 24/7 work as needed, diligence, negotiating skill and the flexibility required to close. They also worked very well with City investor groups and addressed local UK issues smoothly and skillfully. Neither the client nor I could have been more impressed. I have worked with global counsel around the world for 30 years in deals covering more than 75 countries, and this team was among the very best.‘

‘Mark Henry was the partner on the international M&A matter with whom I worked, and Emma Bysouth the associate. Mark has that extremely rare combination of “down to earth” practical advice and highly sophisticated and complex analysis that is extremely hard to find in outside counsel. He is pragmatic, hard working, detailed, thoughtful, and strategic in everything that he does as well as highly sophisticated in addressing complex international matters. He is solution-driven, a great team leader, and was always available, 24/7 from whatever time zone required to move the deal forward and get it closed. He handled opposing counsel with dignity and grace while aggressively moving his client’s position forward. He never said no but rather “here are alternatives”, which inevitably he or his associate Emma Bysouth had already researched and outlined as positive work-arounds.‘

‘Together with his expertise in working [across] many different cultures, country legal systems, and time zones, Mark Henry’s skills in managing the transaction to a successful close were frankly outstanding. Emma Bysouth was no less impressive. She was a constant presence in ensuring that all of the detailed documentation was correctly assembled, analysed and in place. Her dedication to the client was second to none and her insights were outstanding. She worked literally around the clock periodically for many weeks to support and ensure that the deal closed successfully. She was uniformly cheerful, positive and detailed at all times. She is nothing short of extremely impressive as well.‘

‘David Woods and Claire Banks both had significant roles to play in my acquisition and were able to communicate to me in a language I could understand and relate. Their effort and hard work was exceptional and they worked long hours, evenings and weekends to maintain the momentum of the deal to ensure we got through to the end. They are true professionals and nice people to boot. I wouldn’t consider any other company for legal matters in the future.‘

‘The Greenwoods team is friendly and helpful compared to other firms I have dealt with.‘

‘There is a good mix of experience and youth. My main contact David Woods has handled corporate matters for our business for many years.‘

‘Honesty and trust are the valued qualities we have experienced during our long-term business relationship.‘

‘A professional, knowledgeable and very responsive team.‘

‘I have had great support and advice in my dealings with Giles Betts, Nicola Cockerill and Katy Poole in a difficult business acquisition.‘

‘I always felt and appreciated the opportunity to discuss in detail the issues faced during the acquisition and the determination and the team’s professionalism was exceptional.‘

‘The team has a broad knowledge and skill set, whilst being quick, efficient and reasonably priced. As a growing startup, it’s really important we can get all our legal support in one place, from a trusted partner.‘

‘We love working with Petra Sharp and she is one of the best solicitors we have ever worked with. What makes her great is that she really understands our business and knows what is important for a business of our stage. She explains the facts and risks very clearly and the key points in a contract we need to win during a negotiation. She’s fast, efficient and reliable. Her input and advise has been fundamental to our business growth of the last few years and I hope to work with her for many more.‘

‘The firm is very responsive and Jon Bloor is succinct and swift in replying.‘

‘Ellisons is a very strong regional practice which has all relevant specialisms covered. The quality and reliability of the firm, its partners and staff is excellent.‘

‘I have worked with Petra Sharp, Seamus Clifford and Paul Forsyth in their corporate team on a number of occasions. I have found them to be extremely knowledgeable, practical and collaborative.‘

‘Greene & Greene offer a depth of experience, professionalism and a proactive approach to their work and this allows for the absolute best representation when dealing with complex matters such as commercial deals and ensuring at all times that the client’s needs are number one priority.‘

‘With a wide spread of issues arising from my specific matter they were able to deal with these within the depth of the team.‘

‘Mark Daly was superb. The matter became very complex but his practical but professional approach managed to ensure that my interests were protected at all times and he was able to steer the deal to the best possible outcome. He reacted quickly to the unexpected and ensured that the deal was completed on time and without unnecessary delay.‘