England - South East • Corporate and commercial
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP has particular nous in the technology and life sciences sectors, excelling on high-end cross-border M&A work and venture capital transactions. Representing Oxford university spin-outs and growth companies are another core pillar of the team’s work in the space – M&A and private equity specialist Will Axtell, in addition to VC financing expert and ‘outstanding corporate lawyer’ James Went, are the names to note for such matters. Global head of corporate Matthew Martin is based in London. At associate level, Dominique Sabatini is another key contact for spin-out and venture capital work. Partner David Tighe retired in 2022.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Teamwork is excellent and ability to cover during periods of absence almost seamless.'
‘The firm has provided outstanding corporate, commercial and transaction advice to us for over a decade. They are consistently reliable, thoughtful and efficient in their work, whether it's a small ad-hoc matter or a full-scale deal.’
‘James Went has been our main relationship partner and is an outstanding corporate lawyer. His advice is always clear, timely and helpful, and he is equally comfortable managing complex transactions or niche legal questions.
- 'We have recently begun to work with Dominique Sabatini, who is an excellent associate and has done great work in support of several transactional matters.’
‘The team I used has skills in depth and were able to help me in support of a complex M&A. The partner was involved but the people who undertook the daily contact were professional and understood the challenges of such a complex deal.’
‘The main individual was passionate and was always available and there to explain legal complexities that I could understand and execute accordingly.’
‘Experienced, extremely knowledgeable but practical and very user-friendly. We don't go anywhere else for corporate and commercial work.’
‘James Went is outstandingly able and experienced in a broad range of transactions and sectors. He's always calm and considered and able to keep an eye on the bigger picture while maintaining a forensic attention to the detail.'
Key clients
- Seedrs
- The shareholders of Titian Software Holdings Ltd
- Echo Healthcare Inc
- Celleron Therapeutics Limited
- Sixworks Ltd
- The shareholders of Source Health Economics
- The shareholders of AMR International Limited
- The Smithers Group Inc.
- The shareholders of Analytical Services International Limited
- The shareholders of Simply Sustainable
- The Harbour Brewing Company
- MoA Technology Ltd
- Fable Data Ltd
- Seloxium Limited
- Solena Materials Limited
Work highlights
- Acted for Seedrs on its $100m acquisition by US fintech company Republic via a scheme of arrangement.
- Acted for the shareholders of Source Market Access Limited, trading as Source Health Economics, on its sale to private equity backed Sciris Group.
- Acted for US medtech company Echo Healthcare Inc in its acquisition of Immersive Interactive Limited.
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading individuals
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Will is a partner in the corporate team, specialising in M&A, fundraisings, spin-outs and other corporate law matters. He is based in the Oxford office and has particular expertise in the technology and life sciences sectors. Will has a strong track record in complex and high value transactions, often with a cross-border element. He has advised on many US-UK international transactions and has acted on some of the largest Oxford University spin-outs to date. Will is also co-head of the firm’s digital business group. His clients range from start-ups and high growth companies to larger listed companies, as well as high net worth individuals and successful entrepreneurs. Will has a Magic Circle (Clifford Chance) and blue-chip in-house (Vodafone) background.
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Corporate lawyer specialising in advising life sciences and technology companies. His transactional work includes acquisitions and disposals, often with an international element; university spin-outs; venture capital funding transactions; joint ventures; corporate restructuring and re-organisations. He works with companies at all stages of their life cycle and many clients are spin-outs from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, and other universities and technology transfer organisations, who he works with on a long-term basis.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Matthew Martin