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.
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Lawyers
Andy has experience acting for housebuilders, developers and landowners in all aspects of development matters from acquisition through to volume new build plot sales. He has acted for large Plc housebuilders, regional housebuilders, smaller local housebuilders through to land promoters and traders. He specialises in acting for a wide range of clients on land acquisition work whether by way of options (strategic or otherwise) conditional contracts or straight forward unconditional purchases and related areas such as overage agreements. He also has experience in reversionary disposals and assists the new build plot sales team by doing some site set up work.
Andrew is an expert in all aspects of residential development work including acquisitions through immediate and conditional contracts, strategic options and promotion agreements, joint ventures and collaboration agreements, through to affordable housing disposals, infrastructure agreements, site set-up and plot sales. He has worked for SMEs through to national housebuilders throughout the Thames Valley and Home Counties including Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, CALA and Linden.
Christopher heads up the firm’s Reading office, in the heart of the UK’s Thames Valley. Christopher started his legal career as a commercial property lawyer and soon became the managing partner of Pitmans at the age of 31. During his 36 years with the firm the business grew from 25 to over 200 staff with a fee income in excess of £20m.
Jenni specialises in private company acquisitions and disposals, private equity transactions, corporate reorganisations and general corporate advisory matters. Jenni’s experience includes acting for companies, business owners, private equity investors and management teams on a broad range of corporate transactions.
Mailin is a highly experienced commercial lawyer, specialising in copyright, digital, data and media. Her work includes advising clients on a variety of commercial matters which pivot around the exploitation of intellectual property rights and digital products and services, as well as IT-related transactions. She works with clients ranging from start-ups to established global businesses, working across a variety of sectors, including digital, media and technology as well as other clients that are digitally developing their businesses (e.g. in the automotive and retail sectors).
Mark specialises in private company mergers and acquisitions and private equity investments. He is primarily based in the Reading office, but travels widely supporting his colleagues and clients. He acts for private equity investors, corporates, management teams and entrepreneurs. Mark was named Young Dealmaker of the Year at the Thames Valley Deal Awards 2018.
Nicola is a specialist restructuring partner who provides advice and assistance on contentious and non-contentious insolvency, restructuring, refinancing, turnaround, rescues, recoveries, security issues, protection of creditor interests and advisory matters (both corporate and personal). She also specialises in commercial disputes with particular emphasis on finance, corporate and shareholder disputes, asset and debt recovery.
Owen has specialised in family law since he started his training contract in 1996. Owen advises on all aspects of family law including divorce, matrimonial finances, cohabitee disputes, disputes about children, domestic violence injunctions and pre- and post- nuptial agreements. Owen is also a Collaborative Lawyer, so can conduct cases in a more conciliatory manner using the Collaborative Law route. He has a wealth of experience having started his career dealing with Legal Aid cases including complex children cases. During this time he has acted for clients in divorce and financial proceedings in both small money and high net worth cases, including Section 37 injunctions to freeze assets.
Patrick has over 20 years’ experience in acting on banking and corporate finance transactions. During that time he has worked in-house heading the UK Corporate Banking Legal Team at Bank of Scotland and subsequently working as a banking and finance partner in private practice. He is regularly involved in complex structured finance and corporate lending deals including real estate investment and development, leveraged buy-outs, general commercial lending, restructuring, ABL and private client lending. He regularly advises a wide range of leading banks and financial institutions, corporate and high net worth borrowers. His experience includes secured and unsecured UK and cross border transactions.
Rustam helps businesses with complex contract negotiations, by dealing with legal risk in a commercially and operationally pragmatic manner. The contract is only the beginning of a commercial relationship and it is his job to make sure that the contract reflects reality and intent. He has a particular expertise in the software industry, where he has also worked in-house in senior management positions, as well as with data protection.
Sarah specialises in private company mergers and acquisitions, and private equity investments. She acts for companies, private equity investors and management teams. Sarah also advises on corporate advisory matters. Sarah was named Young Dealmaker of the Year at the Thames Valley Deal Awards 2019.
Vanessa has specialised in practising family and matrimonial law for over a decade; navigating clients through complex legal procedures with humour, empathy and tenacity. Her experience is in advising clients in all areas of relationship breakdown, in particular divorce and financial settlements with a personal rapture for forensic analysis and case building.