Professionals: Gateley advises on £5.4m sale of IT services business; Ward Hadaway secures place on major NHS framework; and more

Law firm Gateley has advised a subsidiary of LMS Capital on the sale of its IT services business 365 ITMS.

The deal sees Coretx Holdings acquiring 365 ITMS for £5.4m. LMS Capital is a listed private equity investment company managed by Gresham House Asset Management, focusing predominantly on direct investment at the smaller end of the UK private equity market.

A national team led out of the firm’s Leeds office by Gateley corporate partner Sandip Khroud advised on the deal. The team comprised solicitor Tamanna Keir and solicitor Sarah Lake (Corporate), solicitor Helen Webster (Employment), solicitor Jo Symes (Tax), partner Richard Morton (Banking & Finance), partner Phil Gregory and solicitor Samantha Hazell (Real Estate) and partner Michael Collins (Pensions).

Khroud said: “Our Reading and London office put us in the perfect place for this deal, considering Reading and the surrounding areas are referred to as the tech capital for the UK. We are delighted to have been able to support LMS Capital and hope to work with them again.”

Coretx Holdings is an AIM-listed IT managed services provider, focused on the UK mid-market.

:::

Ward Hadaway has won a place on a major NHS framework to provide legal advice to more than 80 healthcare organisations across the country.

The firm, which has offices in Leeds, Newcastle and Manchester, has been chosen by the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) to offer its legal services to all members of the CPC for the next four years.

The firm can now offer its legal services to the 82 organisations who are members of NOE CPC and who buy goods and services via the procurement collaborative.

NOE CPC is hosted by Leeds and York Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust and provides collaborative and bespoke procurement solutions to the public sector.

Its members include NHS Foundation Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in locations ranging from the Essex to the North East as well as Health Education England.

Jeffrey Keeble, partner and head of healthcare at Ward Hadaway, said: “We are delighted to have secured a place on this prestigious framework.

“The North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative is a major hub for organisations in the public sector to procure goods and services at the best value for taxpayers and competition to secure a place on the framework for legal services is fierce.”

:::

Eversheds Sutherland has become the first law firm to join the government’s Northern Powerhouse partnership programme.

Established by Prime Minister Theresa May and led by Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy, more than 90 firms have signed up to become partners of the government scheme, aimed at helping the North achieve its full potential.

Each of the companies within the partnership programme – ranging from banks and universities to infrastructure and property specialists – has committed to supporting the Northern economy and delivering growth and investment to the region.

Working with the government, the partnership will champion the strengths of the North by promoting new and exciting local developments across transport, skills and innovation, culture and devolution.

Paul Cotton, senior office partner at Eversheds Sutherland Leeds, said: “The North of England is an ambitious region with a great deal to offer. Being part of the Northern Powerhouse partnership programme will enable us to strengthen our collective efforts to help channel that ambition for the benefit of the region as a whole.”

:::

Leeds law firm Stone King has advised on a multi-million pound property deal to secure the future of the country’s largest stately home.

The Grade-I listed Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire has been sold to the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust for £7m.

Stone King acted for the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) which has contributed a £3.5m grant towards the purchase of the Georgian mansion and gardens. The rest of the money has come from a range of institutional and private donors.

The firm’s commercial property team advised the charity on the complex property acquisition and has ensured that its funding is properly protected.  Stone King’s charity team also worked on the deal to make sure that one of Britain’s grandest country houses is held in trust in perpetuity for the public benefit.

The stately home near Rotherham, which has 365 rooms, five miles of corridors and the longest facade of any country house in Europe, will now benefit from £42m of renovations over the next 20 years.

Hugh Pearce, head of the commercial property team at Stone King, said: “We are very proud to have played a central role in helping to secure the future of this magnificent Palladian house for future generations to enjoy.

“We’re delighted that Wentworth Woodhouse, thought to be the largest privately-owned house in Europe, will now benefit from a major restoration project that will restore the property to its former glory.”