Corporate and commercial
Consistently advising on the entire life cycle of a company’s business, spanning from incorporation through to exit, Shoosmiths LLP is highly regarded for its knowledge in investment rounds and seed fundraisings. The firm’s track record in overseeing IPOs and multi-jurisdictional series financings is especially strong, with the team showcasing a solid focus on the fintech, medtech, and cleantech industries. The practice is headed by Alistair Hammerton and Alastair Peet in Birmingham, alongside London’s Steve Barnett, each specialising in acting for growth capital investors and major corporations. From Birmingham, Helen Burnell is highly knowledgeable in sustainable infrastructure transactions, while Belfast’s Grant Edwards primarily assists private equity houses and management teams. In Birmingham, Charlotte Cannell concentrates on the AI and cyber fields, and London’s Kat Hornsby is also cited as a key port of call.
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Mentions
Profile
Work Department
Partner, Corporate
Position
Alastair chairs our International Committee, responsible for directing Shoosmiths international strategy. He also leads our venture capital practice group and is nationally recognized for his venture capital expertise.
Alastair’s focus is on venture and growth capital, advising both institutions and companies/founders on start-up through funding rounds, M&A, and ultimately exit. He is passionate about helping clients with both day-to-day and strategic issues through their life-cycle.
Key clients include Octopus Ventures, Triple Point, Gresham House, DIF Capital, MML Capital Partners, BGF, and numerous other institutional investors in the UK and elsewhere. He also advises start-up, scaling, and expanding companies, typically technology enabled. Alastair and his team have market leading expertise in advising on investments involving Venture Capital Trust (VCT) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax complexities.
Recent experience includes advising:
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- Octopus Ventures on multiple investments, including investments into Secret Escapes, Digital Shadows, Depop, Big Health and others. Alastair also advised Octopus on exits of Swiftkey to Microsoft, Evi to Amazon, Tails.com to Nestle, and Magic Pony to Twitter (X);
- Ai language processing company Speechmatics on its $62m Series B led by Susquehanna Growth Equity;
- Ai as a service company Faculty on its $42.5m Series B led by Apax Digital Fund;
- Oxford Capital Partners on investments including into savings platform Moneybox and insurance disrupter Wrisk;
- Harbr on its $38.5m investment round led by Dawn Capital and Tiger Global;
- Burda Principal on the Series D investment in florist Bloom and Wild;
- Triple Point on multiple disposals of solar and other energy generation assets;
- Los Angeles headquartered Global Critical Logistics on acquisitions of multiple companies outside the USA;
- MML Capital and management of Learning Curve Group on their exit to Agilitas;
- BGF and management of CAD reseller Solid Solutions Management on investment by LDC;
- US investment bank Cowen on its leading a $61m late stage investment into biotech firm F2G;
- Amber Infrastructure, manager of the National Digital Infrastructure Fund, Equitix, and DIF Capital on investments into fibre broadband providers; and
- Oxford Nanoimaging on its Series C investment from Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI) and others.
Career
Trained Eversheds; qualified 1999; associate Eversheds 2004; partner Shoosmiths 2006 to date.
Education
Manchester Grammar School; University of Birmingham (1996 LLB 2(1)); De Montfort University at the University of Birmingham (1997 Legal Practice Course).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team has been a leader in the venture capital ecosystem from the outset. It has a deep knowledge of venture capital transactions, markets and the players and law firms within it.'
'Highly responsive, commercially focused support across the full lifecycle of our investments. Their deep understanding of the venture capital landscape—combined with strong technical execution—makes them a trusted partner from term sheet through to completion and beyond.'
'The team brings a calm, solutions-driven approach to deal negotiations, is adept at managing multiple stakeholders, and consistently delivers to tight timelines. They also provide valuable insight on market norms, fund structuring, and regulatory considerations.'
'This team focuses on delivering excellent service in a highly collaborative manner.'
'The team at Shoosmiths for the VC practice is excellent. Strong and timely communications.'
'I’ve been consistently impressed by the quality of their work and their client-focused approach. What really sets them apart is how closely they partner with us to understand our commercial objectives – they’re not just great lawyers; they’re trusted advisors who care about our success.'
'The team’s sector-specific expertise and practical mindset make a real difference in helping us navigate complex legal issues.'
‘Alastair Peet is one of the top VC partners in the city. He is a calm, proactive and practical.’
Key clients
- Amadeus Capital Partners Limited Promethean Particles Limited Argo Natural Resources Limited (t/a DEScycle) Lakestar DTCP Growth Equity III SCSp SICAV-RAIF Supercede Technology Ltd Clean Growth Fund and Eurazeo (Smart City Fund) Clean Growth Fund and UCL Technology Fund Mustard Seed Venture Fund Semble Technology Limited Artal International S.C.A and Invus Twenty7Tec Group Octopus Ventures
Work highlights
Advised Lakestar on its lead investments in Doccla as part of a £35m series B and Vertice as part of a $50m series C.