Acuity Law

Paul Lowe

Paul is a partner and shareholder at Acuity Law, and a member of our Senior Leadership Team. Paul represents a range of high-profile corporate clients throughout the UK and internationally. His extensive track record as a lead adviser on high-value corporate and commercial transactions has led to industry recognition from The Legal 500, which lists him in the Hall of Fame, and from Chambers and Partners, where he is ranked Band 3. Prior to joining Acuity, he was a corporate partner at Eversheds, leading its Cardiff corporate team for 15 years. As well as being qualified in England and Wales he is admitted to practice in Hong Kong, and spent four years working for Reed Smith, Hong Kong. Paul’s impressive client list includes Scansource Inc, Alamo Group Europe, Peter’s Food Services, Harris Pye and Notemachine. Expertise: Corporate deals and transactions – mergers, acquisitions and disposals Private equity and development finance Commercial projects and contracts Banking and finance structures, including complex and structured arrangements Restructuring and distressed situations

Tom Saunderson

Tom is a partner in our Corporate team. His expertise covers a broad spectrum of M&A, investment and commercial projects work, with a particular expertise in private equity and early-stage investments in high-growth companies. In addition to Tom’s continued support to the acquisition strategy of long-standing client Brickability Group plc over recent years, he manages a number of key client relationships. These include open banking experts OBConnect; Avantis Marine, an engineering business specialising in the conversion of critical assets and infrastructure; a fast-growth premium vodka brand and a number of exciting early-stage companies. Several deals on which Tom has advised have gone on to win awards at the Insider Wales Dealmaker Awards; a testament to his ability and the high-calibre transactions he handles. Tom won the "Emerging Dealmaker of the Year" award at the Wales Insider Dealmaker Awards in 2020. He is recognised as a Rising Star by The Legal 500, and as an Associate to Watch by Chambers and Partners. Expertise: Acquisitions and disposals Share option schemes Early-stage companies Private equity and venture capital

Stephen Berry

Steve is Chairman and founding partner at Acuity Law, with over 25 years of top-level experience both in the UK and internationally. A highly experienced corporate lawyer and dealmaker with a demonstrable track record of advising on numerous high-value M&A transactions, Stephen is widely recognised as a leader in his field. He is listed as a leading individual in The Legal 500 and has a Band 1 ranking from Chambers and Partners. With extensive experience advising on complex, often highly technical and intricate finance structures and partnerships between the private and public sectors, clients describe him as “very good, pragmatic, commercial and doesn’t mess around.” Steve has board-level experience of working with growth companies from early-stage funding through to exit and has a particular interest in technology-backed ventures. Expertise: Corporate deals and transactions including mergers, acquisitions and disposals Private equity-funded transactions and PE backed buy and build strategies Commercial projects and contracts including long-term contracts between the private and public sectors Banking and finance structures, including complex and structured arrangements Restructuring and distressed situations

Christian Farrow

Christian co-leads our Corporate team and regularly advises listed and private companies on acquisitions, disposals, mergers, IPOs, fundraisings and joint ventures, frequently with a cross-border aspect. His unrivalled track record in leading on multimillion-pound transactions across a range of sectors, most notably in financial services and renewables, means that he is highly regarded by his clients and peers alike. Over the years, Christian has advised on many landmark transactions and regularly acts opposite contemporaries at large, national and top-tier City law firms. His impressive client list reflects his status as a trusted lead adviser for heavyweight clients both within Welsh business and beyond, with prominent names including Admiral Group Plc and FTSE-listed Capita Plc among his portfolio of clients. Christian’s contribution to the deal market in Wales has been frequently recognised within the business community, where he was most recently nominated as Dealmaker of the Year in the 2022 Insider Wales Dealmakers Awards. He is ranked as a leading individual in Wales by The Legal 500. Christian champions the innovative use of new technology to improve deal efficiency and client experience. He has created a pioneering legal platform-based product, Document Assist, which enables companies to self-produce high-quality legal documents with easy access to real-time legal support. Expertise: Advising companies on employee ownership and the implementation of share schemes Corporate deals and transactions – mergers, acquisitions and disposals Private equity-funded transactions and PE-backed buy and build strategies Banking and finance structures, including complex and structured arrangements Restructuring and distressed situations

Jon Lawley

Jon heads up the largest dedicated dental M&A team of any law firm in the UK. He is a highly experienced corporate healthcare lawyer with a strong presence in the dental sector, where he advises practice-owners and groups on their acquisition strategies. He is a member of the National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers, the pre-eminent centre of excellence for accounting, tax and legal matters for dentists. He is recognised by The Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner. Jon’s largest client is Portman Dental Care, the largest active acquirer of dental practices in the UK. As the lead adviser to Portman, he has advised on the successful acquisition of over 175 dental practices in England, Wales, Scotland, and the Isle of Man in the last seven years and has grown Portman to become Acuity’s largest client. Jon also advises Portman on commercial contracts, equity fundraises and regulatory issues. Expertise: Corporate deals and transactions Dental business structures (including partnerships, expense sharing arrangements and incorporations) Commercial contracts Banking and finance structures

Phillip Pugh

Phil leads our London Corporate team. He has extensive experience of acting on a full range of corporate and commercial matters and frequently handles complex transactions, including business and share acquisitions, disposals and investments. Phil has acted for clients across a variety of sectors and has particular specialisms in technology/IP and healthcare (including dental). He has worked with several university spin-out companies. Phil has recently been active on behalf of clients in the PR/creative industries, and is the primary contact for leading logistics developer Verdion, as well as lead lawyer for award-winning medical device company Alesi Surgical Limited. Phil is currently recognised as a “Next Generation Partner” which is a testament to his impressive work on several high-profile deals, including the sale of Swansea City Football Club to an American consortium, the sale of digital signage and IPTV provider Tripleplay Services to US-based Uniguest, and the sale of Hereford Contract Canning to Rutland Partners. Phil is also a certified expert in data protection, having completed the EU General Data Protection Regulation Practitioner qualification awarded by the International Board for IT Governance Qualifications. Expertise: Corporate deals and transactions – mergers, acquisitions and disposals Commercial contracts – assignment and licensing of brand rights and intellectual property rights, SaaS arrangements, software licensing, distribution agreements and outsourcing arrangements Investments and equity arrangements Private equity-funded transactions and PE-backed buy and build strategies Corporate restructuring