![Greg Leyshon](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/8853_1243070.jpg)
Corporate and commercial: Thames Valley, Berks, Oxon, M4/M40
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
![Greg Leyshon](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/8853_1243070.jpg)
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
![Will Axtell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/1970_1092012.jpg)
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Will is a partner in the corporate team, specialising in M&A, fundraisings, spin-outs and other corporate law matters. He is based in the Oxford office and has particular expertise in the technology and life sciences sectors. Will has a strong track record in complex and high value transactions, often with a cross-border element. He has advised on many US-UK international transactions and has acted on some of the largest Oxford University spin-outs to date. Will is also co-head of the firm’s digital business group.
His clients range from start-ups and high growth companies to larger listed companies, as well as high net worth individuals and successful entrepreneurs. Will has a Magic Circle (Clifford Chance) and blue-chip in-house (Vodafone) background.
![Alison Patten-Hall](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/4874_1089110.jpg)
![Andrew Peddie](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/7798_1201167.jpg)
Gateley Legal
Andrew is an experienced company lawyer, with expertise in private and public M&A and corporate finance, private equity, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and all other aspects of corporate law. In the first part of his career in the City, Andrew worked on a variety of transactions mainly for large international businesses, with a focus on the oil and gas, IT, telecoms and manufacturing sectors. Since 1996 Andrew has mostly been based in Thames Valley, and the majority of his practice has been in private company M&A, alongside acting for a number of AIM-listed companies, and often in the technology sector. Since helping to establish Gateley’s Reading office in 2016, Andrew has been increasingly involved in private equity backed transactions, while continuing to act for corporate acquirers, and owner managers on exits.
![Sanjeev Sharma](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/9161_1140205.jpg)
![Sara Valentine](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/8853_1243082.jpg)
Osborne Clarke LLP
Please see full biography at osborneclarke.com/lawyers/sara-valentine/
![James Went](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/1970_1113375.jpg)
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Corporate lawyer specialising in advising life sciences and technology companies. His transactional work includes acquisitions and disposals, often with an international element; university spin-outs; venture capital funding transactions; joint ventures; corporate restructuring and re-organisations. He works with companies at all stages of their life cycle and many clients are spin-outs from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and other universities and technology transfer organisations, who he works with on a long-term basis.
![Robert Wood](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/8853_1243088.jpg)
Osborne Clarke LLP
Rob is a Partner in Osborne Clarke's corporate practice and advises investors, management teams and companies on all aspects of the private equity market, focusing on venture and growth capital transactions, private equity buyouts, buy-and-build projects and exits.
He has particular expertise in advising on complex transactions involving investor syndicates.
Much of Rob’s work focuses on the Tech, Media and Comms sector, particularly on high-growth companies trying to bring the latest technology to market.
Please see full biography at osborneclarke.com/lawyers/robert-wood/
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
![Elisabeth Bell](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/4874_1247565.jpg)
Blake Morgan LLP
Elisabeth is a Partner in our Reading office, specialising in the fields of IT, data protection and commercial contracts. Elisabeth is a versatile commercial lawyer, having extensive practical experience drafting, negotiating and advising on legal issues arising in connection with a wide range of commercial projects for private, public and third sectors. She has particular experience advising on IT and data protection issues, as well as extensive commercial experience in the health sectors. Drawing on secondments to a number of international companies, and the Commercial Directorate at the Department of Health, she has advised on significant outsourcing and procurement projects as well as a wide range of commercial business as usual contracts including software licensing; supply arrangements for goods and services; distribution and agency arrangements and public sector procurement projects. advises on IP issues for a range of public and private sector organisations.
![Chris Dobson](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/2067_1251849.jpg)
Boyes Turner
Chris is a partner in the Corporate team and advises clients on a broad range of corporate transactional and general company law matters. He acts for both national and international clients ranging from entrepreneurial start-ups, angel investors and SMEs to listed companies. He advises on legal issues across a number of business sectors and works closely with clients to advise them on all aspects of their transactions. Chris is recommended in particular for M&A transactions in the technology and healthcare sectors.
![Mike Freer](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/8853_1243172.jpg)
![Nina Smith](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2020/03/Nina-Smith.jpg)
Shoosmiths LLP
Nina is joint head of office for Thames Valley and a partner in Shoosmiths’ corporate department, advising a wide variety of clients, including professional equity investors (both PE and VCs), PLCs, large private companies, management teams and owner managers on a range of corporate transactions including acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses, management buy-outs and buy-ins and company reorganisations. Nina is also a member of the Shoosmiths Private Wealth team.
Nina’s recent experience includes:
advising LDC on the sale of ByBox to US PE house Francisco Partners for £221 million;
advising the shareholders of Ikon Science Limited on the sale to US PE house Great Hill Partners;
advising the shareholders of Phabrix Limited on the sale to Leader Europe Limited;
advising nGage Specialist Recruitment on the acquisition of Henlow Recruitment Limited;
advising large US clients on various largescale internal UK reorganisations;
advising the shareholders of Chevron Traffic Management Limited on the exit by Portchester Equity Limited and incoming investment by Triton Partners;
advising GAME Digital Holdings Limited (subsidiary of GAME Digital plc) on the £20 million acquisition of Multiplay Limited; and
advising numerous private equity backed businesses on their buy and build acquisitions.
![Malin Svanberg Larsson](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/7038_1169241.jpg)
Freeths LLP
Malin specialises in advising businesses on a wide range of corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, management buy-ins and buy-outs, corporate reorganisations and restructurings, and early stage investment.She acts for clients across a range of sectors including technology, manufacturing and consultancy. Malin is a corporate lawyer, well regarded for her highly attentive and solutions-orientated approach.
![Tom Walker](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/7038_1161118.jpg)
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
![Timothy Coles](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/4874_1247746.jpg)
Blake Morgan LLP
Tim is a Legal Director in the Corporate team in the Thames Valley who has experience of advising on a broad range of corporate transactions. His principal areas of work are private acquisitions and disposals (domestic and cross-border), joint ventures, restructurings, and initial public offerings. Tim advises clients in a number of different sectors but has particular expertise in the tech, healthcare and leisure sectors.
![Daniela Munro](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/05/Daniela-Munro.jpg)
Shoosmiths LLP
Daniela is a Senior Associate in the corporate team in the Thames Valley office. Daniela's experience encompasses a variety of areas including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings and IPOs. She specialises in equity capital markets transactions such as IPOs and secondary fundraisings and has acted for UK listed companies, nominated advisers and brokers. Daniela has been ranked Rising Star and Key Lawyer in Legal 500.
![Catherine O'Riordan](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/5171_1119835.jpg)
SE-Solicitors
Catherine is a Senior Associate in the Corporate and Commercial team. She acts for a wide range of clients, including owner-managed businesses, national companies, and the UK subsidiaries of European companies. Catherine has particular expertise in warehousing and logistics agreements, online selling and company secretarial work. She also works closely with the firm’s residential and commercial property lawyers, dealing with some of the country’s best-known developers in the formation and administration of residents’ management companies.