England - London • Corporate and commercial

Druces LLP

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Praised for both its ‘pragmatism and commercial acumen’, the corporate team at Druces LLP works on a host of complex M&A transactions for clients operating in the healthcare, infrastructure and Sharia compliant finance sectors. Practice head Christopher Axford continues to advise leading players in health and social care, with a particular interest in regulated businesses and Sharia compliant structuring. The ’terrific’ Antony Cotton is a key port of call for early-stage companies operating in the fintech sector. Caroline Cropley – who heads up the corporate restructuring practice – was promoted to partner in May 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team combines pragmatism and commercial acumen with detailed legal know how - they practice 'the business of law'. Their broad experience allows them to anticipate the drivers and likely approaches taken by counterparts, which helped enormously in shaping documents and finding solutions and compromises.’

  • ‘Impressive levels of client service, responsiveness and willingness to work collaboratively with other advisors to get the right result for the client. Highly technical team and able to think through practical solutions.’

  • ‘It is a pleasure to work with Claire Rigby on transactions - she is professional, responsive and always puts the client's needs first. She and her team work proactively and collaboratively with the client's wider advisor team to secure the right result on a timely basis for the client.’

  • ‘The team successfully combined a highly technical skill base with a straightforward and pragmatic approach. They wear their expertise lightly and build incredibly supportive and effective deal teams.'

  • ‘Claire Rigby is authoritative and informed but highly personable and enjoyable to work with. She understands the value of a close knit deal team across all advisors and works hard to deliver that.'

  • 'Antony Cotton is responsive, agile and really drives momentum on transactions. He has a no-nonsense approach and knows when to cut to the chase.’
  • ‘Antony Cotton took a hands-on approach, led the client through the legals on a sale process producing a great result for the client. Antony consistently made himself available, clearly making the client a priority.'

  • 'Claire Rigby drove the deal from a legal perspective and was very collaborative with other sell-side advisers. Communicated on a regular basis which made for a well-run sales process, with both financial and legal advisers working in harmony.’

Key clients

  • Ideal Industries Inc
  • Cool Planet Technologies Ltd
  • EV Metals Group PLC
  • Global Fintech Investments Holding AG
  • Integrum Care Group
  • Belevedere Leisure Group

Work highlights

  • Advised Ideal Industries Inc in relation to the sale of the entire issued share capital of Casella Holdings Limited to TSI Incorporated Limited.
  • Advised Ideal Industries Inc in relation to the sale of the entire issued share capital of CMD Limited to Rubicon Partners Advisers LLP.
  • Advised on the sale of Silobreaker Group, a leading cybersecurity risk and threat intelligence Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Christopher Axford

Other key lawyers

Stephen Ronaldson, Neil Pfister, Antony Cotton, Jack Dervyn, Caroline Cropley, Claire Rigby