Paris Smith LLP

Corporate

LLP Partner

I have over 30 years of experience in acting for buyers, sellers and investors in management buy outs, merger and acquisition work and private equity and angel investment work. This has included acting for companies (often private equity backed) on a buy and build strategy with their pipeline of target acquisitions, managing due diligence projects, as well as working with family companies, particularly those on a growth projective, including:

incentivising key management with share incentive plans such as EMI Options; dealing with external funding and investment; grooming companies for sale; managing succession; advising on exit scenarios for shareholders.

Other areas of expertise:

shareholders agreements and articles of association; investment agreements; employee ownership trusts; and share buy backs.

Whilst I have a wealth of legal experience, my skills of problem solving, trouble shooting and project management are also key to facilitating  clients’ objectives when it comes to M&A work. Having also built up a portfolio of roles as a trustee and non exec director on a number of boards,  I understand what boards need to know, what commercial risks they need to see as being addressed, and how important it is to express that in a clear and concise way – with no jargon. I am very clear that lawyers are not just there to process – we also need to add value to what our clients are doing.

I have been consistently recognised by Legal 500  for more than 8 years as a Leading Individual and am now a member of the Hall of Fame for the region for corporate finance work.

I also received the Deal Maker of the Year Award for 2022 in the Finance Monthly Deal Maker Awards 2022.

I hold the following posts:

Chair of Governors  – Peter Symonds VI form college, Winchester – an OFSTED rated Outstanding college with nearly 4,500 students aged 16-18 as well as an adult education division Trustee  -Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development, a Forces charity which provides functional skills, apprenticeship and professional and personal development training and assessment to soldiers.