Birketts LLP

As a long-established local firm, Birketts LLP has a ‘responsive and client-focused’ corporate practice in Ipswich. Lead partner Alexandra Nelson is ‘ calm under pressure ’ and has notable expertise in high-value corporate finance and M&A transactions, private equity investments and group reorganisations. She recently worked with employee incentives expert Lisa Hayward on establishing an Employee Ownership Trust for LGS Holdings Limited, and its multimillion-pound sale. Senior partner and commercial contracts specialist James Austin, commercial and technology partner Mark Gipson; and finance partner Andrew Tubb (who is known for providing ‘practical solutions with genuine innovation’), and senior associate Emma Bysouth also play central roles in the practice.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘They were very efficient with their time and my time. They moved the transaction along at an appropriate pace and made sure I was in the loop at every step of the way. The estimated billing amount was exactly as they had predicted. Overall, I was very pleased with Birketts and would recommend them to others.’
‘Emma Tubb was excellent to work with and she kept me well informed during the whole transaction process. She made efficient use of her time as well as mine. I was grateful for her detailed understanding of the business transaction we were undertaking and appreciated her guidance along the way. She was excellent to work with.’
‘We were assisted by the team in relation to quite simple M&A and reorganisation transactions. The team is well structured, responsive and client focused. They understand the clients needs and deal with them with a pragmatic and friendly approach.’
‘Lisa Hayward and Alex Nelson were superb in leading our transition to employee ownership. Always available, very approachable and brilliantly commercial. City quality work at much more sensible prices, we can't recommend them highly enough. This was a complicated transaction involving non-UK shareholders and subsidiary businesses in different parts of the world. Birketts worked seamlessly with our corporate finance advisers so that we felt like they were truly one team. Their after-care is also exceptional and they remain interested and engaged in our business after completion of the transaction.’
‘Alex Nelson is calm under pressure and able to be seamlessly across lots of moving parts on a complex deal. Her ability to explain a complicated transaction in layman terms really stands out. She is an excellent lawyer. With an exceptional attention to deal and a real interest in her clients, she is a genuine trusted adviser.'
'Lisa Hayward is a brilliant lawyer and has become a trusted adviser. Always approachable, commercially astute and endlessly patient, she works brilliantly with her corporate colleagues to get the deal done.'
'Sarah Pearce did an amazing job supporting the partners. She was across the myriad of documents and was attentive and lovely to deal with.’
‘I've found the team at Birketts, especially Andrew Tubb, excellent at getting the job done, despite potentially challenging and difficult circumstances. Practical solutions with genuine innovation are found which temper any issues or concerns parties may have, thus allowing deals to be done or issues to be resolved. Regular communication and discussion around nuances that may be different to the 'norm' are undertaken. The team listen carefully to ensure their understanding before recommending a given course of action.’

Key clients

Denny Bros Limited
Foresight Group
Skinner Pet Food Ltd
Notcutts Limited
Muntons Plc
G.A.H. Refrigeration Ltd
Nationwide Metal Recycling Limited
Green Label Foods Limited
Autumn Foods Holdings Limited
Morrison Freight Limited
Marshall Wolfe Limited
Gressingham Foods
Berlin Packaging Limited
Host Capital Ltd
Juuce Limited
Vehicle Replacement Group Ltd
EO Charging (Juuce Limited)
Jake Scott
Dr Charles Damien Shee MD FRCP
Matthew Philip Bowcock, CBE
Matt Crawford (PTV Healthcare Capital)
Rupert Horner
Stephen James BMW

Work highlights

Advised global legal recruitment company on the sale of the business to an Employee Ownership Trust.
Advised EO Charging on its £80,000,000 capital raising.
Advised the Shareholders of Stephen James Alliance on the sale of the entire issued share capital.

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