Sheffield law firm Wake Smith achieves £100m corporate deals for first time in 200 year history

Sheffield’s Wake Smith Solicitors’ corporate team completed deals worth a cumulative value of more than £100m in 2017, - for the first time in its 200 year history.

Among the deals from last year were the sale of shares in Spencer Coatings Group Limited, the reorganisation of Rollem Patent Products, the share exchange and reorganisations of Twinkl Limited and Armeg Limited, the purchase of shares in Chesterfield Motor Company, the acquisition of Pegasus Diamond by Duro UK Limited 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.

John Baddeley, joint managing director at Wake Smith, 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.

John added: “Duncan and I have more than 20 years each concluding deals and our experience means that we are efficient at turning around deals. Our client base, relationships and knowledge of their businesses adds value to our service as our clients trust us.

“I still get a buzz from completing deals. No deal is ever the same and it’s the variety that keeps it interesting. We have a genuine interest in our clients and the team’s enthusiasm keeps those clients coming back.

“We have enjoyed a superb 2017, achieving some exceptional outcomes for our clients on both the buy and sell-side of transactions. 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.”

Wake Smith’s corporate team’s sector knowledge includes manufacturing, professional services, healthcare, banking, IT/IPR and is supported, where relevant, by colleagues in commercial property, employment, regulatory, trusts and dispute resolution.

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