Demonstrating considerable strength in the life sciences and tech industries, the Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP team is praised for its 'collaborative approach' handling early-stage fundraisings, growth capital funding initiatives, and seed financing. Global corporate head Matthew Martin operates out of London, while Oxford-based venture capital lead James Went has expertise in initial spin-outs and exit transactions. Also in Oxford, Will Axtell routinely supports entrepreneurs and growth companies in the life sciences arena. Oxford-based Kathy Potter draws superlative praise from clients for her work at the intersection of tax and VC matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Very experienced and knowledgeable team. Offered practical solutions to issues. Collaborative approach, always met required timelines.’
‘James Went and Dominique Sabatini are always reliable and offered excellent advice.’
‘Good continuity with Core team that we've worked with for many years. Most of the team have been with us on our journey from start-up / spin out from Oxford university, and have developed a deep and comprehensive understanding of our business. They also have an understanding of some of our key shareholders, thanks to the active role that they play in the Oxford VC community. The team are strong in a wide range of areas corp finance, taxation/ EIS, licencing & IP, property, HR etc. which means that, apart from our financial auditors, Penningtons are our 'Go To' advisors for almost every aspect of the business.’
‘A very strong team with great knowledge and experience of the VC space. The VC tax team at Penningtons is the jewel in the crown and by far the most impressive VC tax team in the industry.’
‘James Went - a fantastic, detail oriented corporate lawyer whose skills shine through in particularly complex legal matters.'
- 'Kathy is an extraordinary tax lawyer who has the ability to deal with very complex tax matters and communicate them in a straightforward and understandable way. Kathy is our go-to for all things tax - one of the most impressive tax lawyers I've ever dealt with and by far the most talented in the VC space.’
Key clients
- Open Cosmos Ltd.
- Metrion Biosciences Ltd
- Arctoris Ltd
- Pictura Bio Ltd
- Fiat Republic
- Deep Planet Limited
- OrganOx Limited
- SPARTA Biodiscovery
- MitoRx Therapeutics
- Go Assistive Technology
- Myricx Pharma Limited
Work highlights
- Advised satellite technology company Open Cosmos on its $50m Series B funding round lead by leading impact investors, Trill Impact, A&G and ETF partners.
- Advised medical device technology company OrganOx on a £25m growth round led by Lauxera Capital Partners, with support from existing investors.
- Acted for banking-as a service platform provider, Fiat Republic, in relation to a seed 2 funding round from US based Arca and Kraken Ventures and Luxembourg based Fabric Ventures and Inovo.vc.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Matthew Martin, James Went