Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Lawyers | VWV Law Firm
Merger and acquisition lawyers for companies, investors, management teams or shareholders buying, selling, investing in or restructuring a business.
We advise on company acquisitions and sales, business and asset deals, management buy outs and buy ins, transfers to Employee Ownership Trusts and investment deals, for UK and international corporates, SMEs and family-owned businesses. Our M&A team closes over 150 deals a year, typically valued between £5m and £50m. We also act on transactions with deal values considerably in excess of this, frequently with an international element.
How can our mergers and acquisitions lawyers help you?
Selecting the right M&A solicitor or team is crucial. It's important to consider their credentials, size, and sector and industry knowledge to make sure they can effectively support you. Our M&A team can advise you whether you are buying or selling a company or business (including to an Employee Ownership Trust), putting together a management buyout or buy in, investing in a business or restructuring or reorganising a group.
Our M&A lawyers can help you with:
Company acquisitions and disposals, from smaller strategic 'bolt on' deals to substantial transactions exceeding £50m
Management buy outs and buy ins (MBOs/MBIs), however they are structured — whether conventional debt or equity funded, vendor funded, or as part of a family business handing over to the next generation
Sales or acquisitions of businesses and assets
International and cross-border M&A
Group reorganisations and rationalisations
Transfers to Employee Ownership Trusts
Which organisations do we work with?
We advise the following organisations based in the UK and internationally, including:
Family-owned and owner-managed businesses
Management teams undertaking a buy out or buy in, or the funders and companies on the other side of those deals
Investors and high net worth individuals
Founders
Charities and social enterprises
Education, life sciences, healthcare and technology sector businesses
UK and international corporates and SMEs across all market sectors and industries
Employee Ownership Trusts.
Why do organisations choose VWV?
Our Corporate team of 11 Partners and 20 other lawyers and professionals is structured to match the complexity of any deal, from smaller bolt-on or strategic transactions to substantial international M&A. We are ranked in Tier 2 for our corporate and M&A work in Legal 500. Rob Collier and Nathan Guest are ranked as Leading Partners, and Samantha Chaney as a Next Generation Partner. We are also ranked in Chambers and Partners. Nathan Guest, Emma Cameron and Richard Phillips are all ranked band 1 individuals, Samantha Chaney is ranked in band 2 and Robert Collier is ranked in band 3 and the team is ranked in band 1.
A large proportion of our M&A deals have a cross-border element, frequently involving countries such as the United States, Australia, France, the Nordics and India. We also regularly support foreign-based multi-nationals on UK acquisition programmes. That international reach, contacts and experience means we can support your growth aspirations however wide they may be.
Our Corporate team will liaise with the other legal teams at VWV in order to provide seamless advice on all aspects of the transaction, such as employment, intellectual property, data protection, real estate or commercial law issues.
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Our work highlights
Scandinavian technology sector acquisition
We advised a Norwegian founder-led company, which has completed over 100 acquisitions since its formation in 2016. Recognised as a strong performing Norwegian software holdco, we assisted in its first acquisition of a U.K. company.
Sale of a UK life sciences company to an Indian acquiror
We acted for the sellers of a UK company which supplies niche high-quality medicines with proven therapeutic value to a an Indian pharmaceutical major, through its UK subsidiary.
Acquisition of Norwegian target from a private equity fund
We acted for a family office on the acquisition of a UK company that designs and manufactures pump systems. The target company was owned by a Norwegian company which, itself, was owned by a Norwegian private equity fund.
FAQs
An M&A lawyer manages the legal side of a merger or acquisition from start to finish. This includes drafting and negotiating the sale and purchase agreement, managing due diligence, and coordinating specialist input on tax, employment and regulatory issues.
Law firms typically handle a business acquisition by structuring the deal, running legal due diligence, drafting the sale and purchase agreement, and managing the negotiation and completion process. They often working alongside other specialists to support the deal such as employment, tax or finance experts.
Look for a lawyer or team with direct experience of deals similar in size and sector to yours, ideally one that is partner-led and can bring in related specialisms like employment or intellectual property advice where needed. To see our recent experience, download our comprehensive dealsheet.
VWV's Corporate team advises on M&A deals from smaller bolt-on acquisitions to transactions exceeding £50m, across sectors including education, life sciences, healthcare and technology sector and can advise on cross-border deals as well as UK transactions.
The right M&A lawyer is usually less about location and more about relevant deal experience and sector knowledge, since most of the process (negotiation, drafting, due diligence) can be run remotely.
VWV's Corporate team is based across offices including Birmingham, Bristol, London and Watford, but can support clients nationally and internationally. We close around 150 deals a year, with many of the deals involving a cross-border element.
At a high level, the M&A process generally runs through several stages:
Agreeing initial terms
Legal and financial due diligence
Negotiating and drafting the transaction documents
Securing any necessary approvals or funding
Completion.
However, this can vary depending on the complexity and significance of the deal. Throughout, a law firm manages risk and protects the client's position in the negotiation.
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