Law firm celebrates £100m corporate deals
Sheffield’s Wake Smith Solicitors corporate team completed deals worth more than £100m in 2017 for the first time in its 200 year history.
Highlights included the sale of shares in Spencer Coatings Group, the reorganisation of Rollem Patent Products, the share exchange and reorganisations of Twinkl and Armeg, the purchase of shares in Chesterfield Motor Company, the acquisition of Pegasus Diamond by Duro UK, and the sale of the Crown Hotel and Rutland Hotel.
The legal work was completed by Wake Smith’s three-strong team – head of company commercial and director Duncan Shepherd, joint managing director John Baddeley, and associate Rebecca Robinson.
The quality and complexity of deals completed in the last 12 months gives the team “excellent forward momentum” going into 2018, the company said.
Baddeley said: “To have worked on such high profile and valuable deals as these demonstrates the depth of experience we have nurtured at Wake Smith. I am extremely proud of the work we have completed taking us over the £100m value in a 12 month period for the first time ever.
“This year we have seen a combination of factors bring us work. There has been a more active market with mature business owners, who have held back from selling at the time when the markets collapsed, reacting to a more attractive marketplace for vendors.
“The banks are now lending money and funding acquirers, meaning that more deals have been enabled.
“Importantly, the calibre of deals that we now handle, far exceeds the level of work we have done in the past, which is great for our reputation both regionally and nationally.”
He added: “I am confident that this positive momentum will be sustained during 2018 and we are already working on a number of major deals for our clients for 2018.”
