the legal 500 ‘Carefully considered advice’ Corporate & commercial
At Blandy & Blandy LLP, practice head David Few acted for the shareholders of Stontronics on its £6.5 million sale to Stadium Group, which involved a preliminary group restructuring. Few also advised Lloyds Bank on a loan to Wharton Park Golf and Country Club. Nick Burrows and Debbie Brett, who head the charity and IP practices, respectively, advise on a variety of corporate, commercial and contentious matters.
Licensing
Sue Dowling heads the practice, which assisted the Rugby Football Union with its application for a premises licence for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and acted for the Lawn Tennis Association on time limited premises licence to cover the holding of the Davis cup quarter finals at the Queen’s Club. Other clients include Get Living London and AEG Europe.
Commercial litigation
Philip D’Arcy heads the team, which also includes contentious insolvency expert David Murray and associate Jessica Irwin. Key clients include Miele, University of Reading and RAW Technology.
Insolvency & corporate recovery David Murray heads the group.
Employment
Blandy & Blandy is particularly strong within the hospitality, charity and pharmaceutical sectors, and has notable expertise in unlawful discrimination and TUPE disputes. Tim Clark advises on reorganisation, restructuring and redundancy, and is recommended alongside Sue Dowling, who is ‘an excellent negotiator with strong technical knowledge’.
Charities & not-for-profit
Blandy & Blandy’s ‘knowledgeable’ and ‘proactive’ team in Reading acts for local clients including Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Berkshire Community Foundation. The ‘professional, approachable and pragmatic’ Nick Burrows is recommended.
Family
Clients appreciate the practice’s ‘concise and carefully considered advice’. Andrew Don is ‘an experienced solicitor who is well- regarded locally’, and Brenda Long has ‘an excellent knowledge of the law’.
Personal tax, trusts & probate
The ‘strong, technically experienced’ team is headed by Jonathan Gater, who is ‘extremely knowledgeable regarding trusts’. Also recommended are Caroline Casagranda and tax planning expert Graham Benwell.
‘Sound, accessible’ Corporate & commercial
Osborne Clarke provides ‘a high quality of service at Reading rates’ and is noted for its international expertise, along with its strength in the digital business, financial services and real estate sectors. Highlights included advising Funding Circle on its $150 million equity fundraising; acting for Majestic Wine on its £70m acquisition of Naked Wines; and assisting Lloyds Development Capital with its £500m disposal of United House Developments. M&A expert Sara Valentine heads the corporate practice, with Russell Bowyer focusing on commercial work. Private equity partners Greg Leyshon, Robert Wood and James Massy-Collier are also recommended.
Commercial litigation
The firm combines ‘sound, accessible and commercial advice with a great appreciation for the bigger picture’. Practice head Peter Sheppard is ‘an excellent commercial litigator
with strong strategic skills’ and ‘always goes the extra mile’. ‘Superb practitioner’ Michael Bell is the key contact for tax issues.
Banking & finance
Practice head Hugh Jones has historically advised Barclays Bank on refinancing and real estate matters. Legal director Rebecca Scott and associate Victoria Clarke are other names to note.
Employment
The firm is ‘excellent on all counts’, and is noted for its strength in the technology and digital business sector. Danielle Kingdon heads the team and is noted for her professionalism and ‘consistently clear and knowledgeable advice’. Highlights included advising Infracast on two long-running termination issues.
Commercial property
Osborne Clarke stands out for its ‘strong reputation in the residential development
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – OCTOBER 2016
field’. Elizabeth Sturgess’ clients include major homebuilders, landowners and funds, and the firm has represented a number of consortiums in relation to new development sites.
IT & telecoms
The firm provides ‘a very responsive service that is attuned to the needs of companies working out of different time zones’. Recommended individuals include Peter Sheppard, who is ‘a skilled and experienced litigator’; private equity specialist Robert Wood; and Russell Bowyer, who heads the practice.
Intellectual property
Russell Bowyer maintains a strong client base within the technology and life sciences sectors, advising on the full spectrum of IP matters. Lorna Brazell specialises in patent litigation, and transactional lawyer Ben Goodger is also recommended.
businessmag.co.uk 25 Education
Blandy & Blandy’s ‘very good’ team is headed by the ‘experienced’ Nick Burrows. Clients include the University of Reading and Reading Blue Coat School.
Commercial property
The group is led by Jane Gunnell and includes John Dingle, whom clients rate for his ‘client-tailored advice and ability to spot things others don’t’; and Katja Wigham, who specialises in the sale and purchase of development land.
Environment
Blandy & Blandy regularly defends companies and directors prosecuted for environmental crime, and also handles compliance issues, including environmental enforcement undertakings. Simon Dimmick and Karen Jones are the key names.
Planning
The team in Reading has strong links with the University of Reading, which it is currently advising on the development of a mixed-use site. Karen Jones ‘brings considerable intellectual rigour to the table’ and Simon Dimmick is a ‘talented problem solver’.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52