Browne Jacobson has advised international specialist software developer Graitec on its acquisition of document management solutions company Opentree Ltd.
Brexit concerns fail to dampen appetite for deals as Browne Jacobson completes Graitec’s acquisition of Opentree
Browne Jacobson has advised international specialist software developer Graitec on its acquisition of document management solutions company Opentree Ltd.
Stokesley based Opentree Ltd was founded in 1992 and develops enterprise document management solutions for clients including Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Celsa, Emirates Steel Industries, Siemens Rail, National Grid, Tata Steel.
Established in 1986, Paris headquartered Graitec specialises in developing BIM, CAD and CAE software for the civil engineering and construction sectors. It is also an authorised Autodesk Platinum Partner for Europe. The company operates 30 offices, including Nottingham, across 12 countries and employs over 400 employees.
Francis Guillemard, Graitec president said: “This acquisition will be pivotal in helping our customers with the day to day management of their project documentation from initial conception and tender, through to project delivery!”
Corporate finance partner Richard Cox, supported by Sian Harrison, led the Browne Jacobson team advising Graitec. In 2014 Richard also led the team advising Graitec UK based subsidiary, Adris, on its acquisition of Autodesk CAD solutions provider, MicroCAD.
This latest acquisition marked back-to-back deals for the Nottingham dealmaker who recently completed the sale of Davies Veterinary Specialists to The Linnaeus Group and follows an extremely busy few months for one of the UK’s leading corporate finance teams which saw it complete a record 34 deals in Quarter 4 alone.
Richard Cox added:
“We have had one of our busiest quarters, dispelling any concerns about the impact on deal activity levels due to Brexit. We are delighted to have completed this important acquisition for Graitec which is a strong strategic fit within our client’s existing portfolio and supports their long term growth strategy by enhancing their service offering to their global client base.”
Browne Jacobson’s award winning corporate finance team has been ranked by Experian as a top 12 UK corporate team, based on the volume of transactions completed and is recognised by independent legal directory Legal 500 as a leading firm for advising on corporate deals.
In this session, we examined the legal framework around grant funded collaborations and discussed the key risks to be aware of, including IP ownership and compliance with grant terms.
Bishopsgate Corporate Finance and law firm Browne Jacobson have jointly advised on the acquisition of award-winning tech solutions business, Custard Technical Services by US managers services and cyber security provider, Thrive.
Logistics company Eddie Stobart has been fined £133,000, after a series of failures which took place whilst excavation work was carried out, exposing its staff to asbestos.
Law firm Browne Jacobson has appointed former Vice President and Chief Planning Officer (CPO) of Aston Martin Lagonda, Nikki Rimmington as its first Non-Executive Director (NED) of its Manufacturing & Industrials sector strategy board.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate technology dealmakers have advised Agilico, a workplace technology business, on its acquisition of Capital Document Solutions Limited for an undisclosed amount.
Browne Jacobson’s lawyers have advised Suez SA and its shareholders on its acquisition of its former UK waste management business – Suez R&R UK - from French headquartered business Veolia for an enterprise value of £2 billion.
The Chancellor’s recent mini-budget provided a significant announcement for business as it was confirmed that the off-payroll working rules (known as “IR35”) put in place for public and private sector businesses from 2017 and 2021 will be scrapped from April 2023.
Browne Jacobson’s national private equity (PE) lawyers have advised leading mid-market PE investment firm, Palatine Private Equity (Palatine) on its exit from CTS Group, the fast-growing specialist in testing, inspection and geoengineering consulting services to the construction and infrastructure sectors.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate finance lawyers have advised leading mid-market private equity firm, LDC and management on the sale of specialist managed IT services provider, Littlefish to Bowmark Capital.
Browne Jacobson’s private equity (PE) dealmakers have advised Palatine Private Equity backed CTS Group (Construction Testing Solutions Limited) on its acquisition of In Situ Site Investigation, a market leader in Cone Penetration Testing and Pressuremeter techniques and ground investigation services.
There are clearly challenging macro-economic factors at play but at Browne Jacobson we continue to see good levels of transactional activity with certain sectors being particularly buoyant: healthcare, financial services, energy & infrastructure and tech.
As of 21 July, two separate pieces of legislation came into force which seeks to mitigate against strike action. It should come as no surprise that this is a direct response to the rail strikes, which have dominated the news in the last couple of months.
Browne Jacobson’s Manchester based corporate lawyers have advised tech enabled shipping and logistics service provider, World Options on its majority buyout by Italian headquartered MBE Worldwide (“MBE”) for an undisclosed sum.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has released a report setting out the impact of new and changing regulations arising from the pandemic on small businesses across the UK.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate tech lawyers have advised specialist bicycle insurer Laka on an investment from Porsche Ventures (a venture capital division of Porsche AG), bringing its series A investment round to a total of $13.5m.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate dealmakers have advised leading property consultancy, Fisher German, on its merger with property consultants Matthews & Goodman in a move that will see the joint businesses now approach a turnover of almost £60m.
Browne Jacobson have successfully advised leading mid-market private equity firm LDC on its investment into global programmatic advertising company, Blis. The transaction will support Blis’ international growth strategy.
First Hydrogen has identified 4 sites in the UK where it plans to locate large hydrogen refuelling stations for commercial vehicles. The sites will also accommodate on-site hydrogen production of between 20 and 40 MW (totalling 80 MW - 160 MW across all 4 locations) and will serve the urban areas of Greater Liverpool, Greater Manchester, London and the Thames Estuary. The plans form part of the Energy division’s strategy to develop green hydrogen production projects, initially in the UK and Canada.
As has been widely reported this week, some 3,000 UK workers are taking part in a six month trial to assess the viability of a four-day working week without any reduction in their normal pay.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate finance team is celebrating after winning the prestigious “Corporate Law Firm of the Year’ award at this year’s East Midlands Dealmakers Awards.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate dealmakers have advised the shareholders on the sale of UK market leading automotive glass specialists, Charles Pugh Holdings to Swedish listed company, Cary Group for an undisclosed sum.
Browne Jacobson’s corporate dealmakers have advised Coniston Capital on its management buyout (MBO) of bespoke kitchen design manufacturers Harvey Jones for an undisclosed sum.
National law firm Browne Jacobson has launched an electric vehicle (EV) scheme as part of its employee benefits package. The benefit will be available to all of the firm’s employees across its five offices, including Birmingham, Exeter, London, Manchester, and Nottingham.
Browne Jacobson’s banking & finance lawyers have advised HSBC UK Bank plc on the financed management buy-out of Derby-based bicycle supplier and distributor, Moore Large for an undisclosed sum.
The government has recently published the Corporate Transparency White Paper – it follows previous consultations on improving the quality and value of financial information on the UK companies register, powers of the registrar and implementation of the ban on corporate directors, which were published in 2020.
With a view to tackling this increasing threat to climate change, the Department of Transport has published the UK Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Strategy, setting out the UK Government’s vision to implement a vast number of public chargepoints across the UK.
Browne Jacobson have successfully advised Triangle Fire Systems, its shareholders and management team on a £9m investment by the Business Growth Fund (BGF).
From 6 April 2022, right to work checks on all migrant or settled prospective employees must be online and checks on British or Irish nationals will be manual (free) or digital (charged for).