Mr Thomas Colmer > Fieldfisher > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Fieldfisher
RIVERBANK HOUSE
2 SWAN LANE
LONDON
EC4R 3TT
England

Work Department

Corporate

Position

I am a Corporate transactional lawyer focussing on M&A, Private Equity, Venture Capital and Growth Equity deals.

I advise on legal aspects of deals: preparation, organisation, strategy, drafting, tactics, negotiating, reviewing, execution & completion of transactions.  My clients range from entrepreneurial founders, owner-managed or family businesses through to international corporate groups and financial investors.   I have particular experience in helping businesses internationalising (especially involving the US) or growing at pace, particularly where innovation or technology are involved, always with a focus on maximising value & managing risk.  I pride myself on providing timely, cost-effective, concise, pragmatic & robust legal advice in a commercial context that is of direct practical value delivered in a personable and dependable manner.  With +23 years of experience, I focus on:

M&A – buy & sell side mergers, acquisitions & disposals of shares, assets & businesses – involving strategic/trade, financial/PE & other buyers/sellers – both domestic & international (transatlantic & cross-border)

Emerging Companies & Venture Capital – fundraises, investments & strategic partnerships – especially Venture Capital, Growth Equity & Private Equity – from late seed, EIS/VCT, Series A, B, C & beyond to exit, including convertible loan notes, options, warrants & secondary sell downs

Legal Due Diligence, including vendor DD & vendor assistance, coordinating specialists across disciplines & territories

Joint Ventures & Shareholders’ Governance, including in a fundraising, family, disputes, real estate, market entry or succession context

Management Advisory & incentivisation plans, including growth shares

Equity Capital Markets transactions particularly on AIM, including initial public offerings (IPOs), private placements, rights issues and other secondary offerings

Carve Outs, Structuring & Reorganisations, including returns of capital, share exchanges, business transfers, demergers & corporate simplification

Career

I have worked:
* in large and mid market international law firms;
* in-house as GC & Head of M&A leading a multi-disciplinary team for a PE-backed global FinTech software vendor; and
* at a “Big 4” practice leading the UK Legal Deals and Private Business team.

I regularly project manage complex deals as transaction counsel even when there is no nexus to the UK & I’ve worked around the globe with an appreciation of local sensitivities.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Corporate and commercial > Venture capital

Combining ‘efficiency, creativity, and strategic acumen’, Fieldfisher provides      ‘solutions-driven’ advice to investors and venture-backed businesses, seeking or providing funding throughout the investment life cycle. Leveraging the firm’s broader regulatory expertise, the team is particularly effective at advising on transactions within the fintech and healthtech sectors, where Thomas Colmer provides ‘highly actionable’ advice. Manchester-based Tom Ward co-heads the team alongside Colmer and has a strong track record advising on early stage mandates, including through EIS funds.

 

London > Corporate and commercial > M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m

The ‘adaptable and commercially focused’ Fieldfisher is widely recognised for its reputation and deep sector expertise in technology deals. The growing practice offers its service across multiple geographies such as Europe, the US and the CIS. Recent engagements have involved sales of businesses, divestments and joint ventures. Practice head Neil Matthews is highly experienced in public and private M&A. Manchester based David Bowcock‘s clients include AIM listed business services companies, while Thomas Colmer specialises in M&A and growth equity transactions. The ‘valued and trusted’ Nodir Sidikov advises energy and natural resources sector clients in the CIS region, while the ‘approachable, pragmatic and balanced’ Tim Bird advises technology and fintech companies on M&A transactions. Melanie Talbot – who joined from Memery Crystal LLP Dublin in September 2022 – specialises in flotations, takeovers and fundraisings.

London > TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Fintech

Turned to by a number of fintechs, banks and high-growth startups, Fieldfisher‘s strong fintech offering encompasses technology infrastructure, the establishment of trading and peer-to-peer platforms and the commercial and regulatory side of payment solutions. Practice head Simon Briskman‘s diverse practice extends to advising on SaaS adoption and cloud-based core banking systems. John Brunning is well placed to advise on fast-moving technologies and emerging risks. Tech-focused VC and M&A lawyer Tom Ward acts for a wide range of fast-growth VC -backed companies, while Thomas Colmer is praised for his ‘deep industry expertise on the corporate side of capital markets fintech‘. Tim Bird is well versed in cross border M&A transactions. Simon Lafferty is also recommended.