Shoosmiths

Kimberley is a Legal Director in Shoosmiths' Corporate practice in Glasgow. Kimberley has over 14 years’ experience acting for all types of businesses across a variety of sectors.

Kimberley's focus is corporate transactions. She has developed a strong repertoire of M&A and private equity deals, from advising domestic family-owned businesses through the entire corporate life-cycle, to leading project teams in delivering global PE backed M&A deals.

Kimberley routinely advises investors and VCs on debt and equity investments, portfolio acquisitions and exits. She also works with early-stage companies and founders in growth-stage fundraisings and has a keen interest in supporting social enterprise and impact investment.

Kimberley is experienced in acting on distressed M&A deals such as pre-pack administrations, working hand in hand with insolvency and restructuring specialists, IPs and corporate clients in implementing insolvency processes and time-pressured deals.

Kimberley also regularly advises corporate clients on large-scale group reorganisations in preparation for sale or in implementation of complex tax restructurings.

Her transactional experience includes

Being a member of the core corporate team at her previous firm who acted for a leading global private equity firm on its €6.85 billion auction bid and successful acquisition of a globally renowned food production, manufacturing and supply chain business. Kimberley’s role included managing local counsel teams to deliver legal diligence across 75+ jurisdictions. The deal involved managing multiple combined asset and share purchases, and assisting the client with its operational set-up of the new global group and brand, and Kimberley coordinated legal aspects for the project teams to set up entities within the global purchaser group structure against complex national regulatory frameworks. The deal won global Private Equity Deal of the Year in 2018.

Leading on the corporate aspects of a restructure and private syndicated debt buy-back valued at more than £305 million, secured over various real estate portfolios involving in excess of 30 non-grouped multi-jurisdictional companies.

Advising an AIM listed client with the prepack purchase of a high street retail business out of administration. The sale ensured continuity of business across 71 of the brand’s retail sites and safeguarded 822 of its 915 employees.

Acting in the restructuring of a leading premium UK housebuilder, including £300 million debt to equity swaps and £500 million debt write-off.

Advising a leading bank on validity and ultimate enforcement of its security over a group of companies in the pubs and leisure sector, attending to various administration appointments and advising the administrators on the trading administration of the group for more than a year, which included coordinating specialist insolvency-related employment, real estate, licensing and dispute resolution advice, before finally dealing in the sales of the various operational sites out of administration.

Whilst serving as a core member of the team of panel lawyers for her previous firm, advising Scottish Enterprise on 110+ debt and equity investments and multiple successful exits for SE's various equity funds, renewable energy funds and the Scottish Investment Bank. Effectively navigating SE’s unique regulatory framework, whilst ensuring the success of commercial deals for the benefit of the local Scottish ecosystem.

Acting for a US-headquartered group in its US$80 million sale of a UK subsidiary operated out of Livingston, which was widely regarded as owning one of the best cleanrooms in the global semiconductor industry.

Acting for the family owners of a leading 165-year-old Scottish quarrying business in their corporate restructuring and sale.

In the Real Estate sector, regularly advising on various acquisitions and sales via offshore SPV holding companies of UK real estate assets, including prime capital city office space, shopping centres and development land.

Leading on all aspects of a multi-stage tax reorganisation of a leading national tyre distribution company regarding the demerger of its business to separate the trading business from the real estate portfolio, and completing a group restructure in preparation for exit.

Having led the owner manager clients on their successful exit from their third generation family business, acting for the selling shareholders in succession planning and implementation of family investment companies to allow the next generation to venture into property investment and development.

Advising on a double BIMBO involving the sale by two separate management teams of a truck and trailer refurbishment business in England and a vehicle asset finance and leasing business in Scotland, into a new UK group alongside equity capital investment from a London-based private equity house. Kimberley acted for the client for years on various buy and build acquisitions for the group and finally for management on their eventual exit to a trade buyer.