Corporate Solicitor: 8+ years PQE (partner track available)
We are an experienced and commercially minded corporate team, based in a single office in the centre of Reading. Our well established corporate team of 18 was founded in 1987 by our senior partner Ian Wood-Smith, and has been led by partner Rachael Maunder since 2017. Over the last few years the team has continued to grow and is looking for a senior lawyer to join the team.
The culture and ethos of the team very much mirrors the FSP values - Fair, Supportive and Participative. Each individual has their own career path mapped out in line with their wishes and desires and the team collectively helps each person within the team achieve that with overarching oversight from Rachael as team leader. Promotions are on merit, at the time that is right for each individual team member, and those that wish to aim high can quickly clime the career ladder within the team.
With a mixture of owner managed businesses, as well as large corporates, as clients, the team is well known and holds its own, and is well respected, up against larger, national firms. The testimonials received from clients echo this and the team has been commended for advice “offered in a very pragmatic and down-to-earth way” and for being “very commercial”.
The core of the corporate team’s work is M&A transactions and restructuring work. Deals vary in size but usually are for a value between £3,000,000 and £30,000,000. The team will also do smaller and bigger transactions/projects. For larger deals a partner or senior lawyer in the team will always lead, with a second partner or senior lawyer offering support as and when required.
The majority of the team’s work is generated from existing client relationships and referrals/recommendations from current and previous clients and the team has a key network of professional contacts who also refer work to the team.
In addition various lawyers in the team cover the following specialisms which means the team has a broad spread of work and connections to generate such work:
Private equity and venture capital: Our venture capital and private equity team specialists advise venture capital funds and angel investors on investments into high growth companies as well as advising companies who are raising funds from VC and angel sources. The team also frequently advise on private-equity backed management transactions, acting for the sellers or management team throughout the process from initial heads of terms (both for the company sale and also the relationship between management and the PE house post-completion) through to negotiating the sale and investment paperwork.
Banking: Our banking specialists have extensive experience in advising lenders and borrowers and are on a number of bank panels. They regularly advise financial institutions, private investors and corporate borrowers on all legal aspects of property acquisitions, property development, corporate acquisitions, MBOs, MBIs and group reorganisations. On corporate transactions our banking specialists work alongside our corporate team to review the terms of a company’s existing banking arrangements, arrange the release of existing security where required and to negotiate new loan facilities and inter-creditor arrangements.
Corporate restructuring and insolvency: We have a long established reputation in the Thames Valley for providing expert advice on corporate insolvency, corporate refinancing and restructuring. The team gives practical advice bearing in mind the financial constraints a business may be under and the objectives of the client. We are regularly instructed by insolvency practitioners, funders, charge holders, company directors, debtors, individuals, partnerships and companies on a broad range of insolvency and restructuring issues.
Company secretarial and general corporate governance: Our corporate specialists regularly advise on more day to day company law matters such as shareholders’/partnership agreements, articles of association, share buy-backs, capital reductions, demergers, group reorganisations and general company secretarial matters.
If you would like to learn more, please make contact with your CV: careers@fsp-law.com