Shoosmiths LLP

Ania Vernon

I am a Legal Director corporate lawyer, and joined Shoosmiths in 2017 from a global firm. As a member of Shoosmiths’ private equity group, the focus of my practice is delivering advice on private-equity sponsored buyouts and sales processes. I am also an experienced private M&A practitioner, with notable sector expertise in tech, retail, asset-manager M&A, and indirect real estate (both offshore and domestic). Recent work includes: acting for a US-based real estate investment fund on its £110m acquisition of a large portfolio of onshore asset-holding vehicles; the merger of two of Europe's most prominent on-demand laundry operators effected via a complex cashless consideration structure, and a subsequent equity fundraising; acting for a national, US fund-backed care home operator in their £148 million acquisition of a competitor; advising the sellers (including BGF) and management team on the sale and reinvestment streams relating to the secondary buyout of Solid Solutions Management Limited by LDC; the secondary buyout of FFX Group Limited, acting for the sellers (including Foresight) on the sale to H2 and rollover and for management in their rollover; acting in the sale of, and rollover relating to, the August Equity-backed secondary buyout of Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging Limited; and acting for a global management consultancy firm in its acquisition of a Polish LLC and LP (for an undisclosed sum).

Crispin Bridges Webb

With 30 years’ experience of corporate and M&A work, Crispin is a partner in the Corporate Group and a leader in his field. Crispin not only works across the UK (working between the London and Midlands offices of Shoosmiths) but also manages transactions outside the UK. He has a wide breadth of experience in terms of clients (whether UK or international private or public corporates, institutions, private equity houses, growth companies and start ups and individuals) across most sectors. Work includes M&A, divestments, equity capital markets, private equity transactions, corporate governance and general corporate matters. Crispin also jointly heads Shoosmiths International managing and co-ordinating Shoosmiths’ relationships with law firms around the globe, including through its’ membership of the World Services Group (WSG), a global network of law firms, as well as its participation in the International Bar Association (IBA). He was awarded UK M&A Lawyer of the Year 2020 by Lawyer Monthly. Legal directory quotes include: ‘cutting-edge advice’, ‘fantastic client-focused service’, 'good commercial sense with a view to getting deals done quickly’, ‘pragmatic approach to complex multi-party negotiations’.