Mergers and acquisitions

Our award-winning corporate team, ranked Band One in Chambers UK 2023, is known for its strength in delivering successful mid-market M&A transactions. As one of the largest corporate teams in the UK, we have the experience and resources necessary to run projects on extremely tight timescales.

Having built our practice acting for founders, corporates, and sponsors on M&A transactions, we know that M&A activity is one of the most high-pressured processes for our clients but often pivotal for the growth of their businesses. Our priority is to identify our clients’ key drivers at the outset of any M&A transaction and to get the best deal for them.

As part of a full-service law firm with top-tier rankings in the legal directories across multiple specialisms, we can add real value to address any potential issues arising out of any M&A transaction to take the stress away from our clients and minimise the disruption to their day-to-day business.

We pride ourselves on being pragmatic and commercial lawyers, working collaboratively with our counterparts in M&A transactions to deliver successful outcomes for our clients.

Our expertise

Our corporate practice covers domestic and international acquisitions and disposals, acting for clients ranging from SMEs on their acquisition growth plans to large multinationals on their high-profile transactions.

Our team of highly experienced corporate lawyers routinely advises across the lifecycle of an M&A transaction including:

• advising on the early structuring of a deal 

• supporting the running of a competitive auction process involving multiple bidders on tight timescales 

• carrying out legal due diligence (when acting for a buyer) or health checks/vendor legal due diligence (when acting for a seller) 

• negotiating the relevant legal documentation e.g. sale and purchase agreement, disclosure letter and ancillary documents on a commercial and balanced basis 

• dealing with the complex completion processes to deliver a successful transaction  

• providing post-completion support e.g. follow-ups on key dates and post-completion action plans.

By leveraging our close working relationships with foreign leading law firms in our international network, we regularly work on cross-border M&A transactions to deliver seamless advice to clients based in the UK and/or overseas.

Our corporate team are also focused on a broad range of sectors which allows us to understand and foresee the industry challenges that may apply to our clients and/or the relevant M&A transaction. With this in-depth sector knowledge and our relationship-led approach, we ensure that our clients get a hands-on, tailored service, on a cost-effective basis every time.