Swinburne Maddison LLP’s corporate and commercial team is highly regarded for its expertise, particularly in M&A, private equity, corporate finance, and commercial services work. The team handles a broad range of transactional work, primarily within the region, while also advising on national and cross-border matters. Clients span multiple sectors, including the leisure, recruitment, transport, and technology industries, with a growing presence in the fintech and software spaces. The firm acts for SMEs, large corporates, listed entities, banks, and private equity funds. Team head Martyn Tennant specialises in transactions and corporate restructurings, while Alex Wilby leads on private equity and venture capital deals. Craig Malarkey is noted for corporate finance mandates and high-value M&A.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The corporate team works very collaboratively and provides an excellent level of service which is on par with large national firms, but they have a local and personable approach. As a client, you feel like you are important to them and they take care to ensure that they do what they promise to do. The team are pragmatic in their approach, which is important when dealing with commercial matters.’
‘The individuals are very attentive and client-focused with a strong desire to assist where possible to provide an excellent service. Matryn Tennant and Matthew Ray in the corporate team have been fantastic.'
‘Craig Malarkey is helpful, kind, understanding, gets to know you and will always look to try to help you and achieve desired outcomes.'
‘They are a multi-faceted law firm with strength-in-depth across the entire practice, meaning that they can provide a multitude of services for the owner-manager business. They are also the right size to provide the correct advice.'
‘Craig Malarkey is an excellent representative of the firm. I have no hesitation in recommending Craig to my clients. He is pragmatic and approaches everything sensibly, showing commercial judgement and prudence, which are key qualities in a solicitor.’
‘Alex Wilby is absolutely amazing and goes above and beyond. Very knowledgeable and an expert in his field.’
‘Swinburne Maddison is a standout full-service law firm that combines deep regional expertise with a dynamic, client-focused approach. What sets the firm apart is its ability to provide high-calibre legal advice while maintaining a level of personal service and responsiveness that is often lacking in larger firms. Their strength lies in their ability to balance technical excellence with commercial pragmatism, ensuring that clients receive not only legally sound advice but also practical, business-minded solutions.'
- 'What I particularly value about the Swinburne Maddison team is they take the time to truly understand their clients' businesses, ensuring that advice is not only legally robust but also commercially effective. Their collaborative approach and ability to build strong relationships with both clients and professional advisers make them a trusted and highly effective legal partner.’
Key clients
- Waterstons Limited
- Otis Holdings Northern Limited
- Durham Cathedral
- The Esh Group
- Atom Bank plc
- Hargreaves Services plc
- Sirius Engineering Limited
- Beyond Housing Limited (formerly Coast and Country Housing Limited)
- Handelsbanken plc
- Hadrian Technology Limited
- St John’s College, Durham
- Teescraft Engineering Limited
Work highlights
Advised Maven Capital Partners UK LLP on its role as fund manager for the NPIF II and Finance Durham Funds on the £3m follow on investment in Power Roll Limited.
Issued share capital of the company to private equity backed Agora Education as part of the businesses buy and build global strategy. The acquisition forms the platform for Agora to pursue growth in the UK market.
Advised the shareholders of Genesis Brands Limited on the sale of the entire issued share capital of the company to French multinational flooring expert, Geflor.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Martyn Tennant
Other key lawyers
Alex Wilby; Craig Malarkey; Matthew Ray; Rebecca Logue