Natalie Wade > Mills & Reeve LLP > Norwich, England > Lawyer Profile

Notably capable in both education and health sector work, Mills & Reeve LLP provides ‘expert advice in a timely way‘. Gary Attle in Cambridge, who is known for his ‘calm expertise and excellent focus on the relevant issues‘, is joint head of the education and research sector group, working with partners in Leeds, while the health and care sector group is led from Birmingham. Attle advises numerous universities on contentious and governance issues. Partner Richard Noble and principal associate Kimbra Weston, both based in Cambridge, are key advisers to education and charity clients on property matters and are ‘always available and willing to discuss any issue with great expertise‘. Health and care M&A specialist Natalie Wade in Norwich and, in Cambridge, employment partner Nicola Brown and principal associate Poppy Short also play pivotal roles in the practice.

The five-partner corporate and commercial practice at Mills & Reeve LLP in Norwich ‘stands out through its professionalism, quality of advice, commercial acumen and pragmatic approach’. It handles regional, national and cross-border corporate matters. The lead partners are the ‘extremely knowledgeable and ultra-responsive‘ Natalie Wade, who frequently handles strategic acquisitions of health assets, and Greg Gibson, who is national lead of the government sector group. Key names to note include firm-wide head of corporate James Hunter who is experienced in acting for owners and acquirers of mid-market businesses; head of the firm’s national food and agribusiness sector group Craig Hodgson; M&A and funds specialist Matthew Short; and principal associate Christina O’Brien who handles private equity and healthcare transactions.