Guy has worked on a number of high-profile transactions during his career in respect of UK and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions. He has a particular focus at Carey Olsen on corporate finance (particularly AIM and main-market listings of Jersey companies), mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, structured investments, joint-venture vehicles and general corporate advice. He has acted on a number of financing transactions involving Jersey property unit trusts and general banking work. In terms of mergers and acquisitions, his work includes advising Capita Fiduciary Group Ltd on its purchase of AIB’s Jersey business on a full cash, debt free basis; advising Terra Firma on its acquisition of leading independent health and social care provider in the UK, Four Seasons Health Care; and advising Europe’s largest bicycle manufacturer Accell Group NV on the Jersey legal aspects of its US$100m acquisition of Raleigh Cycle Ltd. He was the only Jersey lawyer to be recognised in Who’s Who Legal: Mergers and Acquisitions 2014. He has also recently acted for a number of high profile Jersey acquisitions by way of schemes of arrangement, including advising CPA Global Group on its acquisition by Cinven in a deal valued in the region of £950m and Colfax UK Holdings Ltd on its acquisition of Charter International plc in a deal that is believed to be the largest transaction of its kind in Jersey with an estimated value of $2.426bn in cash and stock (approx £1.528bn). IPO work has included the first listing of PRC assets held by a Jersey company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (West China Cement). Guy also regularly acts for Nordic Capital in respect of acquisitions, financing and fund structuring. Guy also recently completed the complex acquisition by way of scheme of arrangement in Jersey to date when he acted for FRM Holdings on its acquisitions by MAN Group. Guy wrote a feature article for PLC Magazine’s January/February 2013 issue (being the first offshore lawyer to do so) on the CPA Global Group and FRM Holdings deals in which he was involved in “Question of Class in Merger and Acquisition deals. Case studies of the CPA and FRM deals”.
Carey Olsen
Carey Olsen‘s ’knowledgeable, helpful and responsive’ team advises clients on the full suite of corporate matters, including cross-border public and private M&A, private equity transactions, IPOs and restructuring measures. On the contentious front, the firm acts for clients in governance, compliance and shareholder disputes. Guy Coltman leads the team, advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including schemes of arrangement. Alex Ohlsson is renowned for his corporate and financing advice, while James Willmott focuses on M&A, IPOs and private equity transactions. David Taylor handles M&A, equity capital markets issues and restructuring matters as part of his wide-ranging practice. Senior associate Katherine Tresca is noted for her M&A, private equity and joint ventures practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
'The team took the time to understand the company so that their advice was tailored to our needs. They were very responsive to requests, particularly to accommodate urgent deadlines; made themselves available for meetings and had a pragmatic and thoughtful approach.'
'James Willmott made efforts to attend our London office while visiting other clients. We discussed some challenges which may result following a planned restructuring. He provided his thoughts on potential solutions and followed up with an email.'
'Excellent team - very knowledgeable about local regulatory law and practice and extremely responsive. Easily the best corporate team in Jersey. A pleasure to deal with.'
'James Willmott was very knowledgeable and responsive.'
'The team was very knowledgeable, helpful and responsive. They reviewed all documents thoroughly, and caught errors before submission, and queried things as required. The team juggled the workload well to ensure progress at all times.'
'The team was easy to get along with, always pleasant and professional.'
Key clients
- All Islands Media
- Islands Insurance Group
- Morning Star
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Permira group
- Roundshield Partners (LV Care Group)
- Sanne Group
- Wentworth Resources
Work highlights
- Advised Sanne Group, a provider of alternative asset and corporate services, on its acquisition by Apex Group, a global financial services provider, for £1.5bn.
- Instructed as lead counsel to LV Care Group and the company's private equity investor, RoundShield, on its sale to Emera Group and Aedifica.
- Advised the purchaser of Channel Islands newspapers, the Jersey Evening Post and Bailiwick Express, on a merger of those businesses, unifying them within a single group.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Rising stars
Katherine is a senior associate in the Jersey corporate group. She works on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, including private and public mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, equity capital markets, reorganisations, joint ventures and general corporate advice.Experience includes advising: Stars Group on its recent acquisition of Sky Betting & Gaming Silverfleet Capital on the sale of Ipes, a leading provider of fund administration and other outsourced services in the private equity sector, to Apex Group Strategic Value Partners on its acquisition of Vita Group from TPG Butterfield on its acquisition of Deutsche Bank's banking and custody business in Guernsey, Jersey and the Cayman Islands Cape on its recommended £332 million takeover by the Altrad group, one of the leading global providers of industrial services The majority shareholder of the C5 Alliance Group, which provides technology services to businesses across the Channel Islands and employs 200 people in the Channel Islands, on the sale of the business to BDO in Jersey BLJ Limited (formerly Bank Leumi (Jersey) Limited) on the sale of its Jersey private banking business to EFG Private Banking (Channel Islands) Limited and the sale of its trust company business, Leumi Overseas Trust Corporation Limited, to Valla Limited Apax Partners LLP in the sale of a significant minority interest in GlobalLogic to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the subsequent disposal to Partners Group Bridgepoint on the acquisition of Moneycorp Quotient on its NASDAQ IPO Polymetal International plc on its reverse takeover of Kazakhgold and subsequent LSE Main Market IPO
Leading individuals
James' practice covers a wide range of corporate activities with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and private equity transactions. He also has significant experience advising on joint ventures, restructurings, reorganisations, start-ups and technical and regulatory matters (in particular company law and competition, insurance, banking and other financial services regulation), and has acted as an expert witness on Jersey company law. His recent experience includes advising on a $2.6bn private equity acquisition of an environmental science business, the formation of a $7bn precious metals joint venture and a number of public takeovers on the UK markets. James' clients include LSE Main Market, NYSE, Nasdaq, AIM and TISE listed companies, global financial institutions including banks, insurance companies and brokers, investment managers and fintech businesses, natural resources companies and international retail groups. He also has a strong local M&A and corporate advisory practice. James has featured in The Jersey & Guernsey Law Review 2017, having authored an article on Filing of Shareholder Agreements and external documents: Jersey Law Practice. James is rated as a 'Leading Lawyer - Highly Regarded' in IFLR1000 and a 'Next Generation Partner' by Legal 500, and is ranked by Chambers UK.
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Guy Coltman