The Cambridge office of Withers LLP serves as its main UK hub for work in the technology and life sciences sector, which encompasses advice to established healthcare and tech businesses, start-ups and market disruptors, venture capital investors, family offices, charities, and university spin-outs in the local Cambridge ecosystem and around the world. 'The team is brilliant and we feel like we're always in safe hands', remarks one client. Lead partner Susanna Stanfield and senior associate Mary Harley are the key contacts in Cambridge, where IP specialist Richard Penfold, global head of venture capital James Shaw and other VC partners frequently work. Stanfield recently advised Molten Ventures on its £5m investment into Zaptic.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The Withers team provided us with very prompt and thorough analysis that showed an excellent understanding of the sector. Their comments on documents were practical and pragmatic, while also making sure our interests were protected. We felt comfortable that we were receiving quality advice despite working across time zones from Australia to the UK.’
‘Incredibly knowledgable - we had a relatively complex transaction, and we felt incredibly well covered. Pace of work is incredibly high, with rapid turn around on documents, and questions. Team was constantly available, with minutes to reply to emails throughout the day and late into the evening. High-pressure project, team delivered very well under changing and complex circumstances with a diverse set of stakeholders.’
‘We've been with Withers for many years through several rounds of funding and various other situations where we've needed their help. For such a large firm, you would expect things to be less personal, but they are not. The team are brilliant and feel like we're always in safe hands and they spot issues and gaps where others might not. They've saved our bacon a number of times - a great firm.’
Key clients
- Clean Energy Finance Corporation
- Emerge Ventures
- Guider App
- Kaikaku.ai Limited
- Knok Healthcare
- Mangrove Capital Partners
- Marvel Prototyping
- Molten Ventures
- Nationwide Engineering Research and Development
- Nature Metrics
Work highlights
- Advised Molten Ventures, leading European venture capital fund, together with Cambridge Innovation Capital and Amadeus Capital on a £15M Series B funding round of Riverlane, a University of Cambridge spin-out, that develops software and algorithms for quantum computers.
- Advised ETF (Environment Technologies Fund), an international syndicate of impact investors, making a $50m equity investment into Open Cosmos Ltd, a global satellite and space technology company.
- Advised Nature Metrics Ltd, global nature intelligence technology company, in respect of its £9.5 million Series A extension round from existing lead investors; 2150 Urban Tech Sustainability Fund I SCSp, Ananda Impact Fund IV GmbH & Co KG, SLP Blue Ocean, BNP Paribas Solar Impulse Venture Fund S.L.P.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Susanna Stanfield
Other key lawyers
Mary Harley; Richard Penfold; James Shaw