Chris Williams > Geldards LLP > Cardiff, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

The ‘commercially astute’ team at Geldards LLP is a popular choice among corporates and funds on both the buy and sell-side of M&A transactions. Within this context, as well as handling conventional private equity-backed and strategic M&A, the team has developed niche expertise handling Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) which continues to gain popularity as a means for SME business owners to divest their share in a business and to avoid capital gains tax (CGT) liability. Corporate head Andrew Morris is highly attuned to the needs of local businesses, both as a result of his fee-earning work for clients, including in the tech, healthcare and financial services, as well as through his role as a member of the Business Council of the Cardiff Capital Region  which promotes the needs of businesses in South Wales. Alex Butler also remains a pivotal member of the team particularly in relation to private equity/venture capital-backed mandates, both on the sell side as well as for financial sponsors on their inward investment. Butler also continues to cultivate the firm’s strong relationship with Development Bank of Wales, advising it on its internal fund structures as well as in connection with its investment activity. Chris Williams heads up the commercial offering, helping to service both private sector clients as well as the firm’s impressive roster of public sector entities.

The ‘approachable and responsive’ team at Geldards LLP provides a ‘first-class service’ to private and public sector clients seeking holistic IP counselling, from the inception of an idea and taking that to market to commercialisation strategies and subsequent enforcement, if necessary. The ‘brilliant’ Chris Williams heads up the non-contentious offering and has vast experience advising clients from the healthcare, design and manufacturing sectors, in particular, on IP commercialisation, as well as providing due diligence assistance to the corporate team on M&A transactions involving IP-rich clients.