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‘Commercial, pragmatic advice’ Corporate & commercial


At Moore Blatch LLP, practice head Roger Bailey assisted the shareholders of Armfield with its £10 million sale to Judges Scientific, undertaking the role of lead adviser alongside two shareholders. Other clients include Bytes Technology Group, Cambridge Mineral Resource and Liberata. John Warchus joined from Clarkslegal LLP.


Commercial litigation


Moore Blatch acted for Monitor Audio in an appeal against HMRC’s decision that the client was not entitled to R&D relief. Claire Haverfield is a key contact. Paul Whitaker left the firm.


Insolvency & corporate recovery


The client base includes RSM, Moore Stephens and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mark Osgood primarily acts for insolvency practitioners and company directors on contentious matters.


Employment Katherine Maxwell leads the team and


provides ‘commercial, pragmatic advice delivered on a timely basis’. Naomi Greenwood is also recommended.


Clinical negligence: claimant


Tim Spring heads the ‘assiduous’ team, which handles claims arising from infectious neurological diseases and rare endocrinological conditions.


Personal injury: claimant


Moore Blatch’s ‘thriving and dynamic’ team represents clients in expert-heavy proceedings. Catastrophic injury claims specialist Ciaran McCabe is ‘a tough negotiator who gets results’. Damian Horan is ‘a remarkable innovator in litigation, who accepts and wins difficult cases’.


Family


The ‘efficient and capable’ team has worked on several pre-nuptial agreements and high-value divorce cases in 2015. Debra Emery is ‘a joy to work with’.


Personal tax, trusts & probate Moore Blatch is recommended for


its ‘client-centred, committed and conscientious’ approach. The ‘supportive and empathetic’ Fiona Heald heads the Court of Protection practice, while the ‘sharp, knowledgeable and accommodating’ Carla Brown leads on wills, tax and trust matter. Joyce Bradbeer is also recommended.


Health


Moore Blatch combines health expertise with experience in the community care field. Paula Barnes is heavily involved in deprivation of liberty cases and challenging refusals of medical care.


Commercial property


Luc Algar, who ‘has excellent industry knowledge and business acumen’, was appointed head of real estate, replacing Martin Duck and Julian Parkes, who remain partners at the firm. The team regularly works on a mix of lender and borrower work for clients including Bloor Homes and Barratt Homes. Gaenor Thomas moved to Hart Brown.


‘Responsive and insightful’ Corporate & commercial


Paris Smith LLP’s ‘outstanding’ practice is led by Sean Davies, and regularly handles cross-border transactions; highlights included advising Belgium- based Diversi Foods on its acquisition of Montana Bakery. The ‘responsive and insightful’ Crispin Dick assisted Alliance One International with its $10 million acquisition of the Ugandan operations of British American Tobacco. Associated British Ports and Purple Parking Group are also clients.


Licensing


Clients include local businesses, sports clubs and national chains. Associate Cliff Morris and Clive Thomson are recommended.


Commercial litigation


Practice head David Eminton ‘is an excellent litigator who understands the law’. Clive Thomson and Mike Pavitt are also recommended.


28 businessmag.co.uk Banking & finance


Paris Smith has noted a substantial uptick in instructions to handle property financing. The ‘very good’ James McNeil leads the team, which advises clients including Santander, Lloyds Bank and Alfred Homes.


Insolvency & corporate recovery


Paris Smith houses ‘experienced insolvency lawyers’ whose advice is ‘always prompt, detailed and considered’. Mike Pavitt, who is ‘extremely detailed in his approach’, successfully defended a client of Quantuma against a HMRC winding-up petition.


Employment


The firm acted for several senior executive clients in management restructuring issues, and acted in a case before the employment tribunal concerning whether TUPE applied to the transfer of an MoD contract. Clive Dobbin leads the team, which includes the ‘pragmatic’ David Roath.


Family


The ‘tenacious and excellent’ Frank Prior now heads the team, with former head Huw Miles taking on a management role at the firm. The practice has a strong regional presence and covers all aspects of family law. Neil Davies and recently promoted partner Rachel Osgood are also recommended.


Personal tax, trusts & probate


Paris Smith ‘has superb business acumen and knowledge’. Practice head Nick Turner regularly acts for high-net-worth clients, and the team as a whole is experienced in the mitigation of inheritance tax, onshore and offshore trusts and advising on wills.


Commercial property


Paris Smith’s practice handled several property investment projects and real estate acquisitions in 2015. Clients include Co-Operative Group and Svenska Handelsbanken. Mark Howarth leads the team.


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – OCTOBER 2016


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