Ashtons Legal has a wide network of offices in the region, and its Norwich office is central to its corporate and commercial offering, which is led from Ipswich by Geoff Hazlewood. It houses much of the firm’s nationally recognised franchising group, led by specialists Damian Humphrey and John Chambers. Alongside his management duties, firm CEO James Tarling continues to be involved in transactional work, and Mark Watson frequently assists many local and national businesses on transactional matters, as well as advising financial institutions on the corporate aspects of their lending. David Sloman acts for high-growth companies in the technology sector.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘A really strong all-round commercial practice. I do a lot of work with early-stage companies so their experience in setting the right foundations for growth is really useful.’
‘We work mostly with David Sloman, who is excellent. Has all the measured calm and thoughtfulness you need in your law partner - but he can move at pace and help us see the wood for the trees in the fast-moving world of start-ups we operate in.’
‘They are responsive, supportive and have a diverse range of expertise.'
‘They are able to support and advise on IP and fundraising challenges for start-ups and SMEs in a tailored and personalised way. David Sloman in particular has always been fantastic.’
‘This firm was very clear from the outset on what scope of work would be provided and what work would need separate intervention from a different department. Very transparent and clear.'
‘Mark Watson was extremely knowledgeable in his field and explained the situations that arose during the course of our journey in a clear and precise manner. It is clear, in our case, that Mark's experience enabled us to navigate a trying and testing transaction at times. We constantly felt Mark was on our side and doing his best to ensure the transaction crossed the line, which it did in a timely manner. We were kept updated all the time and Mark was swift to respond to any queries.’
‘The team have a broad set of disciplines and have been able to support us on many contract reviews and offer advice and expertise whenever we have required it.’
‘Mark Watson is our Account Manager. He is extremely personable as well as knowledgeable and has worked with colleagues across our organisation either directly himself or by assigning the work appropriately to someone with the right discipline to assist us. Always happy to help, Mark is flexible and always willing to pick up the phone to ensure that more complex issues are talked through so that we understand any implications and indeed options. Very impressive individual!’
Key clients
- Stow Healthcare Group
- Medical Management Systems
- TaxAssist Group
- Signs Express
- Titan Motorsport & Automotive Engineering
- Camgrain
- xDNA Group Limited
- Flip Out
- ARC (Norwich) Limited
- Ecoglass Limited
- Quadrant Management
- Euston Ventures Limited
Work highlights
Advising ARC (Norwich) on the successful transition to management ownership by carrying out a two-stage MBO.
Advised Cecil Amey Opticians and Hearing Care on the acquisition of the three branches of Penningtons Opticians.
Advising the shareholders of Majestic Garden Services on the £5m sale to private equity-backed Servtron Limited, including significant roll-over for the shareholders.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Geoff Hazlewood
Other key lawyers
James Tarling; John Chambers; Damian Humphrey; David Sloman; Mark Watson