England - South East • Corporate and commercial
Osborne Clarke LLP
Thames Valley powerhouse Osborne Clarke LLP enjoys a market leading reputation for its ability to handle the full suite of corporate matters, especially those with a cross-border element, and possesses particular expertise in M&A, private equity and venture capital across a range of industry sectors. Corporate team leader Sara Valentine is a specialist in the tech sector, and advises on complex restructurings and cross-border M&A transactions. Pre-eminent Thames Valley practitioner Greg Leyshon acts as national head of corporate and overall head of business transactions. Robert Wood is also renowned, coming highly recommended as ‘the ultimate deal leader’. Mike Freer heads up the firm’s specialist management advisory group and is the go-to lawyer for advising management teams in relation to buy-outs, buy-ins, equity release deals and their subsequent exits.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘An ability to absorb and understand commercial context and create a legal framework that works.’
‘The ability of Robert Hayes and his team to bring a real world approach and then bring a consensus-oriented approach to negotiations is noteworthy.’
‘The team are market leaders in venture capital investments and exits. The experience they have, the knowledge of the sector and their legal capabilities are second to none. The whole team are always incredibly responsive and engaged and are a pleasure to deal with.’
‘Robert Hayes is the ultimate deal leader who you want on your side. Fantastic commercial advice which always helps resolve the issues on deals.'
- 'Elizabeth Yell is an absolute star. She is technically outstanding and balances that with a commercial approach in an excellent way - she's the best.’
Key clients
- GEA
- Cornerstone OnDemand
- Highland Europe
- Everyday Health, Inc.
- LevertonHELM Limited
- BDW Trading Limited
- Redstor
- Cloudfactory Holdings Limited
- Quorbit Ltd
- BGF Investments LP
- Nexeon Limited
Work highlights
- Acted for Everyday Health, Inc. on its acquisition of Thames Valley company, Lifecycle Marketing Group.
- Acted for the selling shareholders of The Research Partnership Limited on its sale to Ashfield Huntworth.
- Acted for the selling shareholders of Leverton-Clarke Holdings Limited on a partial sale of shares and a joint venture with HELM AG.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading individuals
Osborne Clarke LLP
Please see full biography at osborneclarke.com/lawyers/sara-valentine/
Osborne Clarke LLP
Rob is a Partner in Osborne Clarke's corporate practice and advises investors, management teams and companies on all aspects of the private equity market, focusing on venture and growth capital transactions, private equity buyouts, buy-and-build projects and exits. He has particular expertise in advising on complex transactions involving investor syndicates. Much of Rob’s work focuses on the Tech, Media and Comms sector, particularly on high-growth companies trying to bring the latest technology to market. Please see full biography at osborneclarke.com/lawyers/robert-wood/
Next Generation Partners
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Sara Valentine, Greg Leyshon