Shoosmiths LLP‘s growing team has a focus on tax issues relating to both domestic and international M&A. The group is increasingly active in private equity and venture capital spaces. Laura Board leads the London tax team, and is additionally qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor. Chris Moakes is particularly active on behalf of venture capital trusts. Laura Gould joined the team from Reed Smith LLP in early 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The whole team work very closely with us to really understand the business and the investment opportunity.’

  • ‘Tom Wilde and Chris Moakes are both expert but also pragmatic, they provide timely commercial advice and ask extra questions of investors and management to get under the skin of any transaction.’

  • ‘Their VCT practice is pragmatic and helpful - they are always solution focussed.’

  • ‘Tom Wilde is the north star of any tax or legal advisor. He has an incredible depth of knowledge, answers questions at record speed, and is a pleasure to work with.’

  • ‘The team has consistently performed at the highest service levels for tax support that I could expect as in house counsel. Their response times are incredibly fast, and they take pragmatic and calm approaches to any issue we send to them. ’

  • ‘Tom Wilde has been the go to VCT fund advisor for many years now. His knowledge of the intricate legislative landscape coupled with his commercial and friendly approach make him the stand-out in the market. ’

Key clients

  • Triple Point
  • Gresham House
  • Octopus Ventures
  • LDC (Managers) Limited
  • Azets Holdings Limited
  • Puma Investment Management Limited
  • Source Bio International Limited
  • Lightpoint Medical Limited
  • Shareholders of Apparel Brands Limited
  • IZI Medical Products LLC (subsidiary of Halma Plc)
  • Evelyn Partners LLP

Work highlights

  • Advised the shareholders of Apparel Brands Limited on the restructure and transactions required to facilitate the MBO and sale.
  • Advised the Jensten Group on the corporate tax aspects of their acquisition of the East Anglian based One Broker Group.
  • Advised Triple Point on the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trust eligibility of a variety of deals.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Laura Board

Other key lawyers

Chris Moakes, Sarah Buxton, Laura Gould