Hawkins Hatton Corporate Lawyers Limited

This is a niche corporate law firm based in Dudley, primarily dealing with corporate and commercial work, together with commercial property and litigation. Its client base includes European and Anglo-US companies, as well as regional and national clients, and individuals.

The firm: Hawkins Hatton was formed in December 2005 with the single ambition of creating a different type of practice; one that not only delivers the desired results for clients, but puts the smooth running of their business at the forefront of everything the practice does. The firm sets out to provide a true legal partnership based on a refreshingly different and commercial approach. Its client base includes a number of banks, notably RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Santander, and a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Now with three directors and 20 staff, the firm is continually expanding and operates out of purpose-built premises at Castlegate Business Park in Dudley, which enables it to facilitate corporate transactions. Hawkins Hatton is a forward-thinking practice focused on providing excellent services for clients.

Types of work undertaken: Hawkins Hatton provides a full range of company and commercial services. It is known particularly for private equity work for management teams, management buyouts, sales, mergers, acquisitions and disposals for shareholders of small and medium-sized enterprises, and a broad range of day-to-day corporate work, including restructuring of companies (eg section 110, statutory demerger and capital reduction) and related tax issues. Services include drafting of sale and purchase agreements, disclosure letters, tax deeds, loan notes and ancillary matters. Commercial contract expertise includes agency and distribution, consultants, franchises, guarantees, intellectual property, joint ventures, partnerships, shareholder agreements, terms of business, technology/IT and mortgage securitisation for banks and other financial bodies.

Commercial property expertise includes large-scale site acquisitions and disposals, property development, property finance and investment, corporate support for major transactions and commercial leases. Hawkins Hatton can offer clients advice on a broader range of specialist areas, including property investment and finance, development schemes, compulsory purchase issues, construction, and commercial leases for clients including landlords and tenants, public companies, banks, private companies, developers and investors.

A wide range of complex and high-value litigation is expertly handled by the expanding commercial litigation department, which routinely deals with injunctive proceedings, breaches of directors’ duties, derivative claims, shareholder and partnership disputes, and serious white-collar fraud claims on behalf of both claimants and defendants. In the last 12 months the commercial litigation department has enjoyed noteworthy successes. Insurance litigation (including professional negligence) continues to be a key feature of the department. The firm is a keen advocate of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, in appropriate cases.

Hawkins Hatton will continue to expand, broadening the range and depth of experience that it provides to clients.