58 law
Shoosmiths shines in the CF arena
At this year’s Thames Valley and Solent Deals Awards, Shoosmiths swept the board, winning Law Firm of the Year and Lawyer of the Year after playing a leading role in many of the region’s top deals. Now with a snappy new brand, we ask what’s the secret of the firm’s success and how does it stay at the top of its game? Alison Dewar writes
Sean Wright, who heads up the southern- based corporate team, says an essential element has been a 10-year growth strategy, which has seen the practice grow “beyond recognition“ and put Shoosmiths’ offices in Reading and Southampton firmly on the map.
“Key to that has been the investment in the ’right people’, and our most recent recruitment of Adam Dowdney as a partner is testament to that strategy,“ he said. “We recognise and reward talent and are always looking to grow and develop our corporate practice.“
The net result is a dedicated team of 30 solicitors across the Thames Valley and Solent regions who specialise in corporate finance transactional work – banking and corporate – day in, day out.
Wright heads up a team of eight partners, which includes Lynn Knight and Mark Shepherd, all of whom are corporate finance specialists, and have a variety of backgrounds which enables them to provide the best advice, no matter what the transaction.
In addition, the practice has a team of dedicated banking lawyers, led by Rebecca Mauleverer, herself a specialist banking lawyer, and asset finance specialist Chris McClure.
“One of our key differentiators is our ability to undertake private equity investment work and we have considerable experience in acting on all sides of a transaction, from management, the private equity house itself, and the banks. That expertise is on the doorstep and the team is always local and accessible,“ continued Wright.
Their sheer depth of knowledge and understanding means clients will always be in the best possible position to take advantage of new business opportunities.
“We like to think of it as ensuring our clients are ’fit for business’,“ said partner Emma Gibson, who leads the Reading-based team. “The strength of our relationships means we know exactly what banks, private equity houses and other investors are looking for and our role is to make sure our clients achieve the best possible value.“
In April, Gibson was the overwhelming choice for Lawyer of the Year, when she was described as a “major player in the deals market“ by fellow industry professionals.
www.businessmag.co.uk AMONG THE DEALS DELIVERED
• Krispy Kreme, an MBO worth £25 million backed by private equity Alcuin Capital Partners, voted Deal of the Year (under £25m);
• the £60m secondary MBO of the Davies Group, a Reading-based insurance claims management solutions specialist, backed by Electra Partners, which bought the company from LDC;
• the acquisition by Ageas (UK) of the entire issued share capital of Castle Cover for £53m, a deal that showcased Shoosmiths’ expertise in the financial services sector;
• advising Hamworthy Group on all aspects of the acquisition of A W Flow Holdings by one of its subsidiaries, within a relatively tight timetable;
• advising the management team of the Benefex group of companies on the £4.2m development capital investment by BGF.
competition from those outside our patch and the engendering of a strong Thames Valley and Solent business community is essential.“
Many of Shoosmiths’ other lawyers are also involved in regional business programmes, including Adam Dowdney, a regular attendee of Thames Valley First, and tax specialist Tom Wilde, who sits on the Thames Valley branch committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Porter believes it is the depth of Shoosmiths’ local specialisms which sets it apart from its peers.
“For example, within our Thames Valley and Southampton offices, specific corporate tax advice is embedded within the corporate practice, and we have expert lawyers on everything from pensions to merger control, intellectual property, IT and data protection,“ he said.
Sean Wight (top); Emma Gibson; Stephen Porter
Like her colleagues, she is passionate about supporting the regional business community and is a director of the Thames Valley and Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
“Our whole ethos is about developing relationships and keeping things local wherever possible,“ she continued. “We work hard with local businesses and other advisers to ensure the area remains a vibrant place to do business.“
Stephen Porter, a partner in the Solent office and a champion of the Business Solent initiative, agrees: “Clients in a tough climate need a strong legal team in order to identify routes to finance, negotiate and ensure deals get over the line. We are facing increased
“No deal is too large or too small for us and we take a very proactive approach to new business, we never sit waiting for the phone to ring. We are always looking for new opportunities, for us and our clients, and it’s a strategy that continues to pay dividends.“
Details:
Emma Gibson 03700-868819
emma.gibson@
shoosmiths.co.uk
Stephen Porter 03700-866800
stephen.porter@shoosmiths.co.uk
www.shoosmiths.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – SEPTEMBER 2012
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