INDUSTRY SECTORS

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Our lawyers have many years’ experience providing advice in relation to oil, gas, timber, precious metals, environmental issues, exploration rights and other areas of natural resources.

Work on these transactions involves carrying out legal due diligence and obtaining regulatory approvals.  We advise on the mergers and acquisitions of oil, gas and gold mining companies.  We conduct due diligence and prepare all relevant legal documentation and liaise with state authorities with regard to projects. We also provide legal support in obtaining licenses, permissions and state approvals.

We advise financial institutions and investment managers based in the UK, the rest of the EU, offshore financial centers and emerging markets on the full range of banking, securities and related regulatory matters.

We regularly advise commercial banks and financial institutions on drafting complex loan and securitisation documentation and advising on lending and credit arrangements and project and trade finance.

Our lawyers also advise financial institutions on debt restructurings and work-outs.

We have been advising private equity investors since the establishment of this firm, and we are proud of our record of success in this area.

We provide advice for the full life cycle of an investment or portfolio company.  Our lawyers represent private equity and venture capital houses through their growth cycle, including fund formation; new money or private equity investments; financings; initial public offerings, as well as in mergers, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, or trade sale exits.

We advise on setting up and running private equity funds.  Our lawyers act for both authorised and unregulated funds (established in the UK and overseas in all the main offshore and onshore locations: the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Ireland and Luxembourg) and for their managers/investment managers and investment and financial advisers.

Our teams combine regulatory, corporate and tax specialists, which means we provide a holistic approach to prospective and established funds. We are also able to assist in and manage the application process for the authorisation of an investment manager/adviser setting up in the UK.  We are able to lead and co-ordinate the process of establishment of the fund and to anticipate and advise on the regulatory, transactional and financing aspects that may affect the fund during its lifetime.

We can deliver a full range of legal services specifically tailored to meet the needs of start-up businesses. They represent emerging companies in early, middle, and later stage venture capital investments, general corporate matters and exit transfers.  We continue to serve clients originally sponsored by private equity or venture capital funds through and beyond the IPO stage, as public entities, and in “going private” transactions, as well as in connection with M&A activity. Within the private equity field, we specialise in advising media and internet companies.  

Technology, Media and Telecommunications (“TMT”) is an expanding area of our practice  and our lawyers have been involved in advisory and transactional support for media companies, production companies and artists. 

We regularly advise on investments in new media companies, including on tax efficient holding structures and shareholder agreements between the investors.  As such companies grow, we advise on establishing joint ventures with other players in the market, content licensing and various stock options plans for employees.  We have also advised on creating an innovative warrant programme designed to give media companies equity upside in a fast growing internet start-up company.

We also advised media groups on entering into and restructuring multi-million dollar content licensing agreements with major global film (including Warner Bros.) and music production companies, together with their accompanying complex security packages.

We also have a wealth of knowledge and experience in infrastructure projects, particularly in the transport sector. Our lawyers have worked on some of the largest and most complex Public Private Partnership (“PPP”) transactions in the UK as well as having reviewed or worked on a number of projects in Western Europe covering rail, roads and alternative energy.  Our lawyers’ experience of funding projects in Eastern Europe is extensive.

We advise our clients on structuring projects.  We also assist them in accessing specialist advisers, such as technical and financial advisers, as well as funders and potential commercial partners, such as construction companies.

We provide advice on the most advantageous procurement methods and on drafting and negotiating the construction documentation.

We resolve all types of construction disputes and in all forums, including courts of competent jurisdiction, arbitration, adjudication, mediation and other dispute resolution proceedings. We achieve success for our clients by implementing dispute resolution strategies that achieve their goals in the fastest, most effective and most cost-efficient manner possible.