Corporate Services
Our Corporate Team, headed up by Partner Catherine MacRae, advises both public and private companies in relation to all elements of their business – from formation, through funding, restructuring and merger, to exit.
The team’s approach to mergers and acquisitions is very much client focused. Our aim is to become part of the client’s management team, working closely with all its advisers. We listen to their requirements and don’t try to impose our own – it is a hand-holding not a domination exercise.
Everyone wants to get the job done within the agreed timetable and in the most efficient way, so we all help each other to achieve that goal.
Our clients say that we are “always accessible” and “calm under any sort of pressure”, we “don’t blind them with legal jargon” and they like our “practical, commercial and economic approach”.
We are proud of our reputation but we don’t take it for granted. We know that our clients want consistent quality of advice and prompt delivery at a reasonable price - and that’s what we give them.
As Catherine explains, "Although we are probably best known for our work in the leisure sector and, in particular, the betting and gaming industry, our transaction experience spans a much wider field. We have clients in many sectors as diverse as transport, manufacturing, technology, insurance and residential care homes."
The main focus of the team is transactional work but we also advise in other areas such as in relation to shareholder agreements, joint ventures and corporate governance. In addition, many businesses, particularly in relation to development projects and in the professions, operate through partnerships. These can be the traditional unlimited form of partnership or the more modern limited liability partnership (LLP). We can advise on formations, structuring and compliance as well as drafting partnership agreements.
We advise both lenders and borrowers on all aspects of financing and are known for giving pragmatic and practical advice. Whether it is funding in connection with a transaction or, for example, property or vehicle finance, we know our way around and can help businesses avoid the pitfalls. We are used to working to tight timetables which can make the difference between being able to acquire your asset when you want or need it, or not.
