LAWYER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by:
Winner: Sean Wright Shoosmiths
Next came an award highlighting the impressive professional performance by an individual in their specialist field – in this case the legal profession.
Ensuring ‘the right i's are dotted and correct t's crossed', particularly within the small print, has been the traditional role of the lawyers, but in truth their roles are far more expansive and influential in achieving mutually acceptable, problem-free deals.
Five talented individuals from the Solent legal community were shortlisted for this title; Dean Drew of Irwin Mitchell, Nick Gross of Coffin Mew, Sean Kelly of Pitmans, Mark Shepherd of Shoosmiths and Sean Wright of Shoosmiths.
Lynn Knight of Shoosmiths had won this title last year. Could one of her two colleague's take home the crown?
Irwin Mitchell's takeover of Thomas Eggar created a £250 million legal powerhouse.
Experienced corporate lawyer Dean Drew sees exciting times ahead as the firm's footprint grows. Meanwhile, his packed year included the MBO of Diametric, acquisition of Deanwood Golf Club, sale of Wick Hill Group, acquisition of GNMW Architects, and sale of Multiplay.
Nick Gross's team handled £130m of deals in the qualifying period. Chairman and corporate partner Gross, with over 30 years' experience in the field, headed up the sale of Keylogic to Castletron, and the Business Growth Fund's £10m investment into BVG Airflo Group.
Sean Kelly, one of the best-known corporate lawyers on the South Coast, acted on the MBO of Westfield Medical; Premier Marinas' acquisition of Noss Marina;
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – JULY/AUGUST 2016
secondary buyout of Specialist Tours by KPC; sale of Lambert Brothers; and the MBI of John Charcol and TF Financial Planning.
Partner Mark Shepherd, who specialises in advising both public and private companies in corporate transactions, has been with Shoosmiths more than 10 years. He completed a refinance deal for Dean & Reddyhoff; and advised the 23.5 Degrees franchise deal with Starbucks.
Sean Wright heads up Shoosmiths' national private equity practice and leads the south corporate team. During 2015 he advised on the MBO of BOFA International, Blue Water Energy's acquisition of Drilling Systems; disposal of Contour Holdings; and sale of the world-famous Hamleys brand.
This category was sponsored by Meridian Corporate Finance, the independent corporate finance boutique, and the firm's director Darren Thompson announced Sean Wright as the winner.
Winning the award on his 50th birthday made it a double delight for Sean Wright, who said afterwards: “Sorry I could not be there on the night. Having previously won Dealmaker of the Year it is good to finally win the award that applies directly to my professional discipline.
“It is of course personally satisfying to be recognised by the professional community in Solent, but I am only as good as the team around me in Solent and Thames Valley, and I am delighted Shoosmiths won Law Firm of the Year as well recognising all our hard work.
“One final but sad point is that I dedicate this award to a fellow Solent lawyer and good friend, Moray Macpherson, who taught me a lot but sadly died of cancer earlier this year.”
businessmag.co.uk
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