Law firm celebrates record tally of £400m deals in 2017
The corporate team at Manchester law firm JMW is toasting a record year after completing deals worth £400m in 2017.
The team, led by partner Mike Blood, advised on 39 transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial deals, debt finance and investments.
Blood said growth was fuelled by key hires, including Damien Brown who joined as a partner from Shoosmiths, along with new instructions, existing client relationships and referrals from other JMW departments.
Among the deal highlights were several UK acquisitions by Eurofins Scientific, a Luxembourg-listed life sciences company which provides product testing services to the food, environmental and pharmaceutical industries.
The team also advised on Dutch business Boels Rental’s acquisition of Stockport-based Supply UK Hire Shops, and Warrington firm Universal Tanker Group’s swoop for Waters Waste Services, which is based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.
Other notable instructions included advising the Premier Soccer League of South Africa on the structure and tender process for all of its broadcast, mobile content and audio-visual rights, and acting for Chicago-based hedge fund ExWorks Capital on a series of loans to transform an open-cast mine in County Durham into parkland.
Blood said: “We are delighted with the team’s performance during 2017, which represented a 66 per cent increase in the value of deals completed, from £240m in 2016.
“Damien has brought with him a stream of large international acquisitions work, while partner Mark Heppell has developed significant opportunities with north west SMEs, entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses.
“The pipeline for 2018 is very encouraging, with existing clients still very busy acquiring businesses, including ones looking at the purchase of a League One football club and a Premiership Rugby club, and exciting instructions on investments into start-up companies in fintech, software and sports.”
