Corporate Services
Our Corporate Services team headed by partner Michael Archer provides high quality, practical legal advice to help our clients achieve their commercial objectives.
We work hard to understand our clients' businesses and their concerns and aspirations so that we can develop long-term relationships for our mutual benefit.
We have unrivalled expertise in acting for professional practices including accountants, architects, consulting engineers, IFAs, insurance brokers, solicitors and surveyors as well as multi-disciplinary consultancies and SMEs in the construction and engineering industries. Using our sector knowledge, we are well placed to advise our clients on the most appropriate form of business structure to serve their needs.
We understand the urgency of rapidly moving business markets and the need to provide expert advice quickly and effectively and can mobilise experienced teams to work on transactions at short notice.
We advise on a wide range of business and corporate matters including:
Corporate
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Flotation and equity issues
- Corporate recovery
- Partnership agreements
- Succession planning
- Management buy-outs and buy-ins
- Company sales and purchases
- Private equity and corporate and project finance
- Business reorganisations and restructuring
- Shareholders/partnership agreements
- Competition law
- Incorporation of companies and limited liability partnerships
Contracts and Advisory
- Advice on bespoke contracts and amendments to standard forms
- Contract negotiation
- Developing checklists to enable questions to be dealt with in-house
- Drafting standard terms and conditions of contract, proposals, letters and sub-consultancy agreements
- In-house seminars on topics such as risk management and health and safety
Employment
- Transactional issues, including TUPE transfers
- Employment contracts, including service contracts, and consultancy and secondment arrangements
- Day-to-day employment issues
- Contentious matters in the Tribunals and Courts
- Employee benefit schemes
- Employment policies
- Business re-organisations, including redundancy planning and advice
- Unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal and discrimination claim/defences
- Termination packages
Intellectual Property / Information Technology
- Copyright, moral rights, trade marks and patents
- Managing IP portfolios
- Licensing IP rights
- Software licensing and development
- Data protection
- E-Business legislation/regulation
- Freedom of Information
- Registered designs and design rights
- Dispute avoidance and management
Recent transactions where we have acted for professional services clients which are in the public domain include:
Acquisition by Scott Wilson Group PLC of Benaim Enterprises
We advised listed international design and engineering consultancy Scott Wilson Group plc on its acquisition of Benaim Enterprises (Holdings) Limited, a civil, structural and geotechnical consultancy.
Geoff Redwood, Company Secretary of Scott Wilson Group plc said: "Beale and Company assisted Scott Wilson successfully and together produced an effective working partnership."
Partner Martin John commented: "The purchase of Benaim Enterprises is the third acquisition we have completed for Scott Wilson in the last twelve months. We are delighted to have been able to support Scott Wilson's expansion in the Metro sector."
Acquisition by Mouchel Parkman of ServiGroup Limited
We acted for listed consultancy Mouchel Parkman in its acquisition of ServiGroup Limited, a provider of signalling, telecoms and power engineering services to the rail industry. Maximum value of the transaction was £20.67 million settled in cash and Mouchel Parkman shares listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Acquisition by Waterman Group of J P Envirosystems Limited
We acted for consultancy Waterman Group in its acquisition of a J P Envirosystems Limited, a consultancy specialising in the environmental management sector. Maximum value of the transaction was £325,000 settled in cash, Waterman Group shares listed on the London Stock Exchange and deferred consideration subject to accounts.
Sale of Roger Preston & Partners to Grontmij
We acted for Roger Preston & Partners, one of the world's largest consultancies specialising in building services engineering, on the sale of its business to European design consultancy Grontmij. The value of the transaction was £13 million settled in cash plus a performance related earn out.
For further information, please contact:
Michael Archer
Partner
T: +44 (0)20 7420 8705
E: m.archer@beale-law.com