United Kingdom - Scotland • Corporate and commercial

Shoosmiths

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The corporate offering at Shoosmiths LLP has a strong reputation for high-quality and commercial advice across a broad spectrum of areas from M&A and investment work, to private equity and venture capital transactions, with particular growth in recent years coming in specialist areas such as green technology and life sciences. ‘Superstar’ Alison Gilson leads the team, with considerable experience of both high-value Scottish and UK transactions, she is building a stellar reputation for complex international M&A deals. Calum Stacey joined in January 2022 and fronts the commercial offering, bringing a strong background in the energy sector and advising on commercial contracts and project and JV-specific arrangements.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The Shoosmiths team are highly skilled and extremely knowledgeable in handling the variety of tasks presented, from the relatively straight forward lease and purchase arrangements to those more complicated formations, or dissolution, of Shareholding Agreements.’

  • ‘There is a sense of care and sensitivity applied by each Shoosmiths representative to those difficult tasks and decisions being experienced by their client.’

  • ‘You just know what is being advised and/or produced is a thorough and honest appraisal, based on what is the best course of action for the customer.’
  • ‘Shoosmiths have the people, diversity of skillset and network.’

  • ‘The team possess good commercial and technical experience and knowledge.’

  • ‘Alison Gilson shows great commercial awareness and responsiveness.’

  • 'Calum Stacey gets start-ups. We value his opinion, his friendly approach, but most importantly, we value his brain. He has been a rock within our business, guiding us through the twists and turns of scaling a climate tech company with industrial and agricultural clients.'

  • 'The team really understands our business, meaning they hit the ground running on any new matters. Their value for money is excellent.'

Key clients

  • Sandbox International Holdings Limited
  • Extreme E Limited
  • Electric Sea Racing Limited
  • Big Green Smile Limited
  • LeapFrog Investments
  • Engine B Limited
  • MV Commercial Limited
  • St Andrews Pharmaceuticals Technology Limited
  • Housing Growth Partnership
  • Foresight Group LLP
  • TotalEnergies
  • Central England Co-operative Limited
  • Black Bull Biochar Limited
  • Engage Consulting Limited
  • Hyper9 Ltd
  • The Wise Group

Work highlights

  • Advised Sandbox International on its acquisition of PlayKids, One of the Leading Children’s Edutainment Platforms in Brazil, to Cement Its Place in the Global Online Learning Space.
  • Advised Electric Sea Racing on its investment from Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund to enable it to launch the world’s first electric boat racing championship.
  • Advised TotalEnergies on its framework agreements as part of the expansion of its public EV network following its acquisition of Source London.

Lawyers

Leading individuals

Alison Gilson

Alison Gilson

Shoosmiths LLP

Alison is a corporate partner and head of the firm’s Edinburgh office. She has extensive experience advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, MBOs, investments, disposals and joint ventures. She also has significant experience advising on shareholder arrangements, group reorganisations and corporate governance matters. Alison acts for clients across a wide range of sectors and has developed particular expertise working with businesses in the healthcare, technology, transport and media sectors. Her transactional experience includes advising: Extreme E, an international racing series that brings off-road electric racing to remote parts of the world to highlight climate change, on a range of corporate matters including the recent strategic investment into Extreme E by Formula E; Electric Sea Racing Limited on its launch of the "E1 Series" and its partnership with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia whose investment will enable them to create the world's first electric powerboat racing championship; national commercial vehicle hire business MV Commercial Limited on various share and business acquisitions and disposals; Sandbox International on edtech acquisitions in Brazil, Spain and the US; digital tech business Engine B on its funding rounds; Carewatch Care Services Limited on a series of acquisitions in Scotland, England and Wales and then on the sale of various divisions in a complex transaction that required the completion of 6 transactions within 4 weeks.  

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Alison Gilson

Other key lawyers

Calum Stacey