KPMG Law in the United Kingdom > London, England > Firm Profile
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom Offices
15 CANADA SQUARE
CANARY WHARF
LONDON
E14 5GL
England
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom > The Legal 500 Rankings
Corporate and commercial > International business reorganisations Tier 2
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom recently recruited Richard Needham from Baker McKenzie to jointly lead the firm’s international business reorganisations practice with Peter Workman in Birmingham following the retirement of Richard Lewis. The practice also saw numerous promotions including the promotion of Ben Brafman and Birmingham-based Tom Swain to director and Manchester-based Paul Kelly and Tanvir Dhanoa getting elevated to the partnership. The group is active in high-value and complex cross-border reorganisation projects and benefits from the firm’s wider professional services expertise and bespoke and tailored technology products.Practice head(s):
Richard Needham; Peter Workman
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Ability to dive deeply into a particular matter very rapidly and to gear up to ensure that everything is addressed. Impressive availability of the people involved.’
‘Ben Brafman was a constant reassuring and measured presence on our matter.’
‘Richard Needham stands out as having extensive experience in international corporate reorganisations. He is personable and a pleasure to work with. He gives useful, practical advice and has a deep understanding of what is important to clients.’
‘KPMG offer a unique blend of tax, legal and governance expertise which is highly valuable as a client. Well resourced and excellent levels of expertise and professionalism.’
‘I like how KPMG law always take a full scope grip of the engagement and makes sure that everything is considered. I also like their ability to work with other firms with an open mind and that they are working together for what is best for the client.’
‘Tanvir Dhanoa — excellent, very approachable, friendly, practical, unruffled and a really good lawyer.’
‘Ben Brafman — a good lawyer who is very helpful.’
‘Ben Brafman is best in class. Calm, positive and with a lot of knowledge. That is all you need to be a great partner.’
Key clients
Aegion Corporation
GlobalData plc
Illinois Tool Works Inc.
INEOS Group
INOVYN Group
JERA Trading
Synetiq Group
Zoomo
Work highlights
- Advising Illinois Tool Works Inc on a major cross-border group reorganisation and legal entity rationalisation programme.
- Advised GlobalData plc on a complex corporate restructuring through a court approved public company reduction of capital scheme.
- Assisted JERA Trading with a global restructuring involving a separation of its financial and physical trading business involving complex regulatory issues.
Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations Tier 2
The tax disputes and investigations team at KPMG Law in the United Kingdom acts on all types of domestic and cross-border matters including corporation tax, customs and excise duties and income tax for high net-worth individuals. Recent highlights include representing HSBC in a novel dispute about non-incorporated entities which has far-reaching consequences for UK VAT law. Angela Savin has a range of direct tax dispute resolution expertise and co-heads the team with Matthew Fleming who leads the indirect tax disputes practice. Amanda Brown KC is a rated barrister who represents clients in a range of disputes.Practice head(s):
Angela Savin; Matthew Fleming
Other key lawyers:
Amanda Brown KC
Testimonials
‘The team is highly efficient, and very commercial in its attitude. Very high degree of expertise in the field.’
‘A large tax focused team with a great deal of depth and knowledge.’
‘KPMG’s tax investigations team is very experienced and are astute in dealing with HMRC investigations.’
‘It can draw on its extensive accountancy and consulting practice.’
‘KPMG Law has real depth of talent, from the top partner level down to the trainees. Everyone seems to work very well as a team, collaborating and cooperating. They have particular strength in large tax litigation matters, and can manage cases all the way through a dispute.’
‘Matt Fleming is excellent. His VAT knowledge is second to none. He inspires confidence.’
‘Amanda Brown KC is a class act. The grand dame of indirect tax.’
‘I like working with Amanda Brown. She is extremely knowledgeable, as would be expected of a KC, however is pragmatic and able to think commercially. She is able to explain complex legal jargon in a non-patronising, inclusive way, and clear with her analysis of a situation.’
Key clients
Cape Industrial Services Limited
Devon Waste Management
DHL Air Ltd
English National Ballet
Euromoney plc
Gap Group Limited
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
John Hargreaves
HSBC Bank plc
Intercontinental Hotels
Jupiter Asset Management plc
Key Group Limited
Kopparberg
Lloyds Banking Group
Poundland Limited
Robert Wiseman and Sons Limited
Silver Seas Property Holdings Sarl
Thyssenkrupp Materials (UK) Limited
United Grand Lodge of England
Volkswagen Financial Services (UK) Limited
William Archer
William Hill plc
Work highlights
- Represented HSBC in a novel and untested VAT law dispute with HMRC.
- Represented John Hargreaves in challenging the competency and validity of a discovery assessment which was made by HMRC for income and capital gains tax.
TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms Tier 4
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom represents large technology companies, corporate users of technology, and fintech companies on various mandates, including corporate deals and joint ventures, outsourcing transactions, and cloud and data centre matters. Usman Wahid is head of the department with expertise in IT and outsourcing deals. Senior managers Tom John and Chris Overton are also notable in outsourcing mandates and financial services regulatory work respectively.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team has good diligence, focus and understanding of clients’ needs, and excellent understanding of the challenges and intimate understanding of key points to focus on.’
‘Good depth of knowledge of their areas of expertise.’
‘The team provide prompt turnaround of issues, are approachable, and provide clear advice.’
‘Technical and commercial expertise and acumen. Excellent communication and articulation of argument by Usman Wahid.’
Key clients
Ebury Partners UK
BC Technology Group
Network 2 Supplies
Work highlights
- Advising BC Technology Group on a joint venture with an international bank to create a digital asset brokerage and exchange platform for institutional and corporate clients in Europe.
- Advising N2S on technology and data protection law, including advice on a collaboration with Coventry University to develop a way to use biotechnology to extract the valuable material within printed circuit boards.
Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Manchester Tier 3
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom assists a client roster which ranges from SMEs founded and based in the North West to large UK and multinational PLCs and private companies. Under the guidance of experienced corporate specialists Paul Kelly and Edward Bartlett, the team focuses on providing M&A and resturcturing advice. The technology sector is an area of particular expertise.Practice head(s):
Paul Kelly; Edward Bartlett
Other key lawyers:
David Fitzmaurice; Sarah Flinn
Testimonials
‘Available 24/7, this highly skilled and motivated team make the M&A process as simple as possible for us.’
‘The team are just excellent to deal with. I found them to be supportive, professional, on the ball, down to earth and empathetic, really cannot recommend the legal team at KPMG enough.’
‘The KPMG team are warm, personable, great fun to work with, as well as delivering to the highest possible level. They work in true partnership with their clients, at pace and with incredible diligence and attention to detail.’
‘Paul Kelly always considers the commercial element of an issue when giving advice.’
‘Edward Bartlett has the tact, diplomacy, patience and experience to negotiate all sides of a transaction brilliantly. He is pro-active in his client relationship management, fully transparent on costs and manages expectations on all sides superbly.’
‘Edward Bartlett really stood out. He is superb at explaining complex points to clients and getting large groups of principals and advisors to cut through the discussion and reach agreement.’
‘Both Edward Bartlett and all his team went out of the way in making sure the protracted deal discussions came to a satisfactory end for all concerned.’
Key clients
Bouygues
Doosan Power Systems S.A
GlobalData Plc
Hewlett Packard International
London Stock Exchange Group PLC
NG Bailey
Nobia Holdings UK Limited
Quinnfinity
Synetiq Group
Shareholders of Killer Ink Limited
The shareholders of Planet Enterprises Limited
INEOS
Aegion Corporation
INOVYN
Work highlights
- Advised the selling shareholders on the £225m divestment of Synetiq.
- Assisted with the UK due diligence aspects of French company Boygues’ €6.7bn cross-border acquisition of the Equans business from Energie.
- Advised NG Bailey on its investment into British Volt, the constructor and operator of the UK’s first electric vehicle battery Gigafactory.
Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40 Tier 3
The ‘simply outstanding‘ Emma Gibson leads KPMG Law in the United Kingdom in Reading, where she and her team handle M&A, corporate reconstructions and reorganizations, finance and private equity transactions. Tim Sydor has a particular specialism in acting for management teams in private equity buy-outs, regularly handling transactions for vendors and buyers.
Practice head(s):
Emma Gibson
Other key lawyers:
Tim Sydor; Emma Couch; Duncan Kay
Testimonials
‘The team is very responsive and able to adjust quickly to the changing situations.’
‘Very resourceful and always reassuring.’
‘Strong professional and interpersonal skills, bench strength across entire team, allowing for seamless sharing of caseloads and excellent continuity of service. The only team we see hybrid and flexi-working actually managed effectively without detracting from client service. The team works well to provide excellent time-critical work product with simple solutions and good attention to detail.’
‘Individuals are result-driven and have a hands-on approach.’
‘Emma Gibson: simply outstanding corporate lawyer. Handles challenging matters with calm deftness and aplomb. Unflappable, gets right to the heart of an issue and fixes it with no drama. Very much appreciate her style during emotive or highly charged M&A matters – very good in a crisis, but equally technically proficient – a rare combination.’
Key clients
Amber Beverage Group Holding Sarl
Pulsant Limited
Watson Farley William LLP
Konsentus Ltd
Higgs LLP
Management team of New World Foods
Work highlights
- Advising Amber Beverage Group Holding S.a.r.l. on the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of an Irish whiskey and liquor company.
- Acting for Pulsant Limited on the acquisition of the entire issued share capital of a data centre business.
- Advising Watson Farley Williams LLP on its leadership and governance structure and the review of its existing LLP agreement.
Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Birmingham Tier 3
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom‘s deal and structuring team is a burgeoning presence in the Birmingham market, advising a diverse roster of companies on M&A transactions, joint ventures, and reorganisations – often with a strong cross-border element. Practice chair Jenna Ostrowski‘s recent highlights include international divestitures for clients in recruitment consultancy and food manufacturing. Thomas Swain focuses on privately held companies, while Dean Chauhan has most recently handled reorganisations and incentive scheme reviews. Eve Oppenheimer is also noted.Practice head(s):
Jenna Ostrowski
Other key lawyers:
Tom Swain; Dean Chauhan; Eve Oppenheimer
Key clients
Shareholders of Romax Technology Ltd
Shareholders of Find A University Ltd
Shareholders of Meat Snacks Group Ltd
Shareholders of Fire Glass Ltd
Shareholders of Vee Bee Ltd
Work highlights
- Advising the shareholders of Find A University Ltd on the sale of the business to Keystone Academics Solutions AS.
- Advised the shareholders on the sale of Meat Snacks Group Ltd to Rowes Honey Ltd.
North West > Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Manchester Tier 3
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom assists a client roster which ranges from SMEs founded and based in the North West to large UK and multinational PLCs and private companies. Under the guidance of experienced corporate specialists Paul Kelly and Edward Bartlett, the team focuses on providing M&A and resturcturing advice. The technology sector is an area of particular expertise.Practice head(s):
Paul Kelly; Edward Bartlett
Other key lawyers:
David Fitzmaurice; Sarah Flinn
Testimonials
‘Available 24/7, this highly skilled and motivated team make the M&A process as simple as possible for us.’
‘The team are just excellent to deal with. I found them to be supportive, professional, on the ball, down to earth and empathetic, really cannot recommend the legal team at KPMG enough.’
‘The KPMG team are warm, personable, great fun to work with, as well as delivering to the highest possible level. They work in true partnership with their clients, at pace and with incredible diligence and attention to detail.’
‘Paul Kelly always considers the commercial element of an issue when giving advice.’
‘Edward Bartlett has the tact, diplomacy, patience and experience to negotiate all sides of a transaction brilliantly. He is pro-active in his client relationship management, fully transparent on costs and manages expectations on all sides superbly.’
‘Edward Bartlett really stood out. He is superb at explaining complex points to clients and getting large groups of principals and advisors to cut through the discussion and reach agreement.’
‘Both Edward Bartlett and all his team went out of the way in making sure the protracted deal discussions came to a satisfactory end for all concerned.’
Key clients
Bouygues
Doosan Power Systems S.A
GlobalData Plc
Hewlett Packard International
London Stock Exchange Group PLC
NG Bailey
Nobia Holdings UK Limited
Quinnfinity
Synetiq Group
Shareholders of Killer Ink Limited
The shareholders of Planet Enterprises Limited
INEOS
Aegion Corporation
INOVYN
Work highlights
- Advised the selling shareholders on the £225m divestment of Synetiq.
- Assisted with the UK due diligence aspects of French company Boygues’ €6.7bn cross-border acquisition of the Equans business from Energie.
- Advised NG Bailey on its investment into British Volt, the constructor and operator of the UK’s first electric vehicle battery Gigafactory.
KPMG Law in the United Kingdom > Firm Profile
A new reality demands a different approach. Our business is law and our focus is solving your challenge. Through collaboration and innovation, we combine expertise in law with business insight and technology-enabled solutions.
The ‘change challenge’ for business has never been greater. Your business is operating in an increasingly complex, global and fast-moving legal environment. You are under pressure to deliver business outcomes at speed, but with pressure on resource. And your stakeholders, workforce, customers and suppliers expect you to demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, inclusivity and social mobility. Markets will increasingly judge your contribution and inform your success by reference to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda. The world is changing at pace and so is what you need from your legal adviser.
Reimagining legal solutions through three lenses
We organise our business around the things that matter to you. Great legal expertise is a given, but you need more than that. We put our client solutions though robust analysis of what really drives our client’s needs, wants and fears. We support you on the day-to-day, the unexpected and preparing for the future:
- Solutions to support with core business execution
We help you address your business as usual requirements with the benefit of independent and experienced legal insight, economies of scale and outsourcing efficiencies.
- Solutions to support with situational and critical needs
We provide legal support when you’re faced by a new situation or crisis, whether driven by a macro-economic event or more specific business scenario.
- Solutions to support your aspirational and future requirements
We help you transform and evolve your business. That might simply mean using technology more effectively or it could mean rethinking how you operate.
A genuine focus on what matters to you most
- We deliver complete business solutions to help ensure you and your business get better outcomes. No more piecing together the parts, just one solution.
- Talented people with expertise and business perspective, we nurture legal professionals who are experts but think about client outcomes first and constantly have an eye on how technology can be an enabler.
- A strong commitment to diversity, inclusivity and social mobility – at KPMG Law we have an enviable record, proud to have a diverse and inclusive business with 50 percent* female representation in our leadership.
- Access to global solutions and local legal advice, where you need it, when you need it across 81 countries with over 2,800 lawyers via KPMG’s Global Legal Services network.
- Reimagining Law is a willingness to adapt, to flex, to change ways of thinking and working, embrace technology and to collaborate to deliver to you the outcomes you need.
*Numbers accurate at the time of publication, July 2020.
What can you expect from us?
- Energised and diverse teams
- A desire to fully understand your challenges
- A focus on business solutions with a legal lens
- A willingness to leverage technology to do things better
- A collaborative and open relationship
- Control over costs and value for money
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Nicola Brooks | Head of Legal Operations Transformation Services | View Profile |
 | Amanda Brown | Partner | View Profile |
 | Tanvir Dhanoa | Director | View Profile |
 | Kate Eades | Partner | View Profile |
 | Matthew Fleming | Partner | View Profile |
 | David Gracie | Director | View Profile |
 | Paul Kelly | Director | View Profile |
 | Richard Lewis | Partner | View Profile |
 | Kennedy Masterton-Smith | Director | View Profile |
 | Isabel Ost | Director | View Profile |
 | Angela Savin | Partner | View Profile |
 | Donna Sharp | Director | View Profile |
 | Usman Wahid | Partner | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of Lawyers : 130+ Global Legal Services Network : 2,800 colleagues worldwide in 81 countriesLanguages
EnglishDiversity
What we believe
Where you were born, your socio-economic background, your ethnicity, your sexuality, your gender: none of these things should affect whether you fulfil your potential.
We believe that building an inclusive environment simply makes sense. Our clients know that diverse teams do better thinking. And we know that you’ll be at your best when you feel you belong.
We study every part of the firm through the lens of inclusion. It’s a core part of our recruitment process, it’s part of how we progress our people and it’s part of how our leaders are measured and rewarded.
It’s important to us to keep learning and improving. It’s why we collaborate with outside organisations like Stonewall, Race for Opportunity and Working Families. We choose to publish our gender and our ethnicity pay-gaps every year, and we hold ourselves to stretching targets on inclusion, diversity and social equality.
You can read more about our approach to inclusion on our careers site.
Our Black Lives Action Plan
The Black Lives Matter movement has created a precious moment in history. And it’s a moment we don’t want to waste. We have committed to redoubling our efforts at every level, to push harder for faster and more significant change in our firm. We’re working together on five priority areas of our Action Plan:
- We’ve introduced dedicated resources to work on Black inclusion full-time, reporting directly to our UK Chair, Bill Michael, and the Head of People.
- We’ve brought in external expertise, to support our efforts and to constructively challenge us. We know we can’t accelerate change if we act alone
- We’ve committed to at least doubling our Black population in leadership positions over the next two years. And through our internal and external programmes, we have built up a strong pipeline of future Black leaders.
- We’ve asked everyone to commit to educating themselves. A new Allies programme will help us all learn from each other and act as role model sponsors of our black talent
- And finally, the leadership has committed to driving this change and being held accountable for its success
Interviews
Nick Roome , Head of Legal Services
Head of Legal Services at KPMG, Nick Roome, reflects on how the firm and its clients are embracing legal services as they respond to a rapidly changing business environmentWhat do you see as the main points that differentiate KPMG Legal Services from your competitors?
We are challenging the legal services market to do things differently. We see clients who want complete solutions to their business issues and having our lawyers operate in KPMG’s multidisciplinary environment means we are ideally placed to help deliver this. It’s about drawing on our firm’s breadth of knowledge and broader business perspective, combined with high quality legal expertise, to optimize what we offer. Lawyers at KPMG get to collaborate with colleagues in tax, consulting and deal advisory and with other non-legal specialists, to create solutions that most effectively address the business challenges facing KPMG’s clients. It’s about having the right people in the room and all on the same team.
Added to this, KPMG in the UK is part of a worldwide network that includes over 1650 lawyers practicing in over 75 countries. We combine global reach with a flexible delivery model that allows our clients to choose the level of support from us that is right for them – from providing services at a purely local level all the way up to coordinating the global provision of legal services in order to deliver complex transformational projects in multiple jurisdictions. We are present not just in international financial centers and state capitals but also in regional cities – our approach is global but we are, just as importantly, just around the corner for many of our clients.
Finally, we embrace the new digital legal age with open arms. We are a relatively new, emerging and disruptive player in the legal profession, operating in a competitive legal sector which has historically been slow to embrace technology. It is clear that our technology resources, business insights and clear desire to put technology at the heart of our strategy are key to our current and future success.
Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
We are experiencing a tremendous rate of growth, attracting exceptionally talented lawyers and high quality work. While we continue to focus, grow and invest in all our legal service lines, we see great potential in building out our corporate and commercial business together with its adjacencies. While Brexit certainly remains an issue on the table for many of our clients, it is the individual challenges that change presents, around issues ranging from hindrances to cash flow, regulatory permissions, group structures, tax differentials amongst others, all the way to the primary objective of continuing to generate cost efficiencies and grow profits, that mean that our cross functional multidisciplinary model is best placed to help clients.
Overall, we expect to see strong demand for corporate and commercial services, contentious tax, financial services, deal advisory opportunities and employment. Our dedicated teams of experienced lawyers will continue to serve
clients on all of these fronts and more working as part of multi-disciplinary teams created from all strands of KPMG’s advisory and tax practices.
What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?
One of our key priorities is talent. We are investing in attracting and nurturing the best lawyers and enabling them to serve clients effectively on a multidisciplinary basis. We have recently welcomed a number of new partners and directors to the practice and will continue to do so. We are always seeking lawyers who can embrace the advantage that operating in a multi-disciplinary environment can bring, whilst operating under one of the world’s leading and most respected professional services brands.
Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
Technology has and continues to radically change the way in which clients and lawyers deal with one another and we are actively developing platforms and tools to enhance the collective client experience, as well as to drive down costs on more standardized projects and engagements. We also have a strategy that aims to bring more transformative technologies into how we serve our clients. As a new entrant in the legal market we are well placed to build these enhancements into our way of working as we build out our teams and capabilities.
5) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?
Brexit is expected to bring to an end the right for financial services to be provided on a pass ported basis around the European Union with a significant impact on banks and other financial institutions based in the UK who engage in cross border activity. We are coordinating legal teams across Europe, integrated with our financial services consulting, tax and other advisory teams, to deliver a complete transformation of the way one of the firm’s key clients undertakes and provides financial services. The engagement is a multiyear project which is purposed to ensure that business can be conducted in the EU and the UK on a substantively similar basis both before and after the UK leaves the EU. At the other end of the scale, we have just acted, in conjunction with our tax advisory team, for a fledgling hotel chain with a disruptive business model to successfully complete its Series B funding round. We are really excited about the scale and breadth of the practice our lawyers are developing with the wider firm.
Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
The business challenges of today are multi-dimensional and rarely does a standalone legal solution provide the complete answer. KPMG Legal Services remains firmly anchored within the UK firm and its client relationships. By understanding our clients businesses and with the benefit of the firm’s wider knowledge and appreciation of the markets in which they operate, we are able to provide a better picture of the strategic landscape and the options available to clients from a legal perspective.
Through the relationships we hold with GC’s and in-house legal teams, we not only help them with their legal needs but also provide the wider perspective and insight that a firm like KPMG can offer. This can only be a good thing for GC’s looking to ensure that they bring strategic influence and broad business perspective to t
- Corporate and commercial > International business reorganisations
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations