James Allen > Birketts LLP > Cambridge, England > Lawyer Profile

The team at Birketts LLP is noted as being ‘responsive and willing to find practical and commercial solutions’ to clients’ issues. The firm is a regional powerhouse but also handles a growing stream of cross-border transactional matters. Practice head James Allen provides ‘measured, pragmatic and commercial advice’ and notably recently assisted Greene King Limited with the acquisition of smokehouse restaurant group Hickory’s. ‘Approachable and easy to work with‘ early-stage funding expert Quentin Golder, private equity specialist Adrian Seagers and experienced ICT partner Andrew Priest also play pivotal roles in the practice, as does Nick Burt, who was promoted to partner in June 2022.

The banking and finance practice at Birketts LLP is noted as being ‘proactive and supportive’. The firm acts for regional, national and London-based clients from its four regional offices, and it is a frequent advisor to, among others, HSBC Bank, Lloyds Bank and Santander. Cambridge-based practice head Alex Schaafsma, described as ‘always ready to advise and support when necessary’, recently assisted borrower Milbank Ventures Limited with a facility from Arbuthnot Commercial ABL to refinance its existing facilities and finance the acquisition of Bruno Rimini Limited; this included a £12.6m asset-based lending facility agreement. Also in Cambridge, James Allen is a specialist in financing mobile home parks, and senior associate Kathryn Palmer is active in ship finance, educational lending and real estate finance. Senior associate Lottie Fletcher in Norwich also plays a key role in the practice.