30 LAW SOUTH EAST – THE LEGAL 500
Firms contesting corporate and commercial league table
Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/ M40
Top tier • Osborne Clarke Reading
Second tier • Shoosmiths LLP Reading
Third tier • Blake Lapthorn Oxford • Boyes Turner Reading • Field Seymour Parkes LLP Reading • Manches LLP Oxford, Reading • Pitmans LLP Reading
Fourth tier
• Blandy & Blandy LLP Reading • Clarkslegal LLP Reading • Darbys Solicitors LLP Oxford • Henmans Freeth LLP Oxford • Morgan Cole LLP Reading, Oxford • Spratt Endicott Banbury • White & Black Legal LLP Oxford • Withy King LLP Oxford
Fifth tier • Brethertons LLP Banbury • Clifton Ingram LLP Wokingham, Reading • Gardner Leader LLP Newbury • Herrington & Carmichael LLP Wokingham
Osborne Clarke’s highly regarded seven- partner team is led by Sara Valentine, and stands out for its work for private equity houses in the Thames Valley region. Digital and cleantech sector specialist Robert Wood acted for Mobeus Equity Partners on its £16.7 million management buyout of Tesella; and Janita Good, who heads the life sciences and healthcare team, represented Enterprise Ventures and NVM Private Equity in their sale of Altacor. Other key partners are commercial team head Russell Bowyer; head of markets Greg Leyshon; and office head James Massy-Collier.
‘One of the leading corporate teams in the Thames Valley’. Shoosmiths LLP recently acted for the shareholders of Enara Group, including August Equity, on its £111m acquisition by MITIE Group. Corporate team head Emma Gibson is ‘commercial and engaging, and a tough negotiator’; and commercial team head Paul De Vince is also recommended. Adam Dowdney has a strong
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private equity and M&A practice, and is highly regarded by peers.
Edward Lee’s team at Blake Lapthorn has strong experience in cross-border deals for international clients, and a reputation for its work in renewables and cleantech, through Nicola McConville. Lee and McConville were part of an eight-lawyer team which assisted Audley Travel Group on its sale to Equistone, involving tax, employment and real estate aspects. The team is also advising ISIS Innovation, a subsidiary of the University of Oxford, on spinouts from its Software Incubator project.
Boyes Turner continues to act for Creston, with commercial and technology team head Mark Blunden recently advising the company on social media and marketing strategies. On the corporate side, group head Robert Rice advised Guardian News & Media on the sale of Kable Direct to Progressive Digital Media; and Rachel Fitzpatrick acted for Trader Publishing on its acquisition of shares in Deltapoint Associates. Bill Gornall-King is a key contact for commercial IP and IT-related work.
Field Seymour Parkes LLP continues to act for longstanding clients Reading FC and Metaskil, recently advising the former on the high-profile sale of 51% of its shares to a Gibraltar company. Senior partner Ian Wood- Smith is ‘a wise and sensible lawyer with a great network of contacts’; Mary Pears ‘does serious work on complex commercial issues very well’; and Jeremy Parkes is ‘an extremely good corporate lawyer’. Penelope Garden heads the team.
With a strong reputation in the hi-tech and life sciences sectors, Manches LLP acted for the shareholders on the management buyout of Tessella; and advised iJento on an £8m investment into its operations by three venture capital funds. The highly regarded David Tighe leads the team from Oxford, which also features Patrick Baddeley, who is particularly active in follow-on funding matters for life sciences clients. Rob Hayes and Justin Starling are the key contacts in the firm’s Reading office.
Pitmans LLP has been very active on the transactional side. Team head Andrew Peddie advised CACI on its acquisition of Tomorrow Communications, and Stephanie Perry acted for Ridgeway Group on its purchase of Wood Group. Roger Gregory joined the team in October 2012 from Dorsey & Whitney, bringing expertise in private equity and venture capital work.
Blandy & Blandy LLP’s ‘first-class team’ is noted for its ‘in-depth knowledge’ and ‘clear and concise advice’. Team head David Few is ‘very good at analysing clients’ requirements, and responds in a positive way’. Nick Burrows, who is also head of the firm’s charities group, is another key contact. Deborah Brett is recommended for her work on the commercial side. Recent clients include Skellerup UK, the Union of Brunel Students, and Eddingtons.
Ashan Arif ’s team at Clarkslegal LLP has been handling work in IP and public procurement, as well as in infrastructure. In a major highlight, the team advised Carillion on its joint venture with Bombardier Transport to develop the European Train Control System for Network Rail. Arif, who was promoted to partner in November 2012 after the departure of previous practice head Kelvin Byrne, is also noted for his Islamic finance expertise. John Warchus and Kirstin Parker are key contacts on the commercial IP and procurement sides respectively.
Darbys Solicitors LLP acted on several substantial deals in 2012. Team head Jonathan Williamson advised the shareholders of North Oxford Garage on its acquisition by William Morgan Group, as well as handling some significant real estate matters. Sian Champki is ‘very commercial and understands clients’ requirements’.
Henmans Freeth LLP acts for local SMEs, charities and technology companies, and recently advised Rollright Facilities and ttMobiles on notable deals. Malcolm Sadler heads the team and is assisted by associate Tom Walker.
Morgan Cole LLP has a strong reputation for commercial work in procurement and outsourcing, particularly for the NHS. Michael Stace has acted on a number of recent deals in the technology sector. Team head Alison Patten-Hall is ‘a rock – very dependable and a trusted pair of hands’. The team includes several lawyers with impressive experience in commercial healthcare matters; Bruce Potter and Gayle Curry co-head a separate healthcare group.
Spratt Endicott’s recent notable work includes advising Hillesden Investments on its acquisition of Cranberry Foods, and providing ongoing commercial advice on outsourcing to a multinational company. John Spratt heads the team and has strong experience assisting major clients in both corporate and commercial matters. Hitendra
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – OCTOBER 2013
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