Richard Wilkey, Head of National and London Corporate Teams

When the clinical directors of Scott Veterinary Clinic needed help with their succession planning, they turned to Corporate Senior Associate Victoria Dorman for support and guidance.

Victoria's expertise meant she could work closely with accountants to facilitate a route of exit for a retiring shareholder and offer the newest clinical director the opportunity to become a shareholder within the group.  Victoria was able to quickly adapt the transaction and offer a pragmatic solution to counter unforeseen issues, making sure the transaction completed within the client’s timeframe.

Clinical director Vicki Fabron said: “We are so grateful for the exceptional professional service provided during a stressful time for us. Victoria really went above and beyond to meet deadlines and reassure us every step of the way. Thank you so much!”

Victoria is looking forward to working on similar cases in the future.

‘Every single member of the team involved in the sale of our business was extremely professional, knowledgeable and proactive. And a great pleasure to work with.’

‘I would HIGHLY recommend this law practice to anyone who requires outstanding service.’

‘I have worked with various law firms over some 30 years in business and without a shadow of doubt HCR have stood out in every respect.’

‘Brilliant people and fantastic service.’

‘HCR are always prepared to go the extra mile to deliver a project on time and to budget. The most unique feature about HCR has to be the people. everyone in the organisation is highly motivated, experienced and has a robust understanding of our needs as a business. HCR has such a breadth of expertise to support in any situation. They are able to bring together the right team to support our needs. We have never found HCR to be wanting in any transaction.’

‘The team that we work with in HCR will always complete a transaction on time and will work whatever hours required to achieve this objective. They will always keep us informed of progress on a project and will support in difficult situations. Everyone I have worked with at HCR is professional, driven, competent, and experienced. I cannot say enough good things about Arpinder and the team.’

‘Partner engagement is exceptional.’

‘Pragmatic in approach.’

‘The practice is local but has regional and national reach.’

‘The culture of the firm feels like it runs through each of the team members. While being very competent and experienced lawyers, they are great at ‘customer service’; readily available and able to ‘translate’ legal issues into easy to understand lay language.’

‘An excellent, engaging, and experienced team, with wise advice and foresight provided on challenging and time-critical matters.’

‘They provide a personal service.’

‘They have strong communication skills.’

‘The team are exceptionally knowledgeable across multiple topics and their speed of response is always second to none.’

‘The individuals I have dealt with at Hewitsons are always personable, responsive, understanding and inquisitive. They are also pragmatic when required.’

‘Very responsive and prompt with work, particularly when timescales and project deadlines are approaching. This level of responsiveness was extremely reassuring and provides a positive, engaging and pleasant client experience. Good communication within the firm across different teams.’

‘Harrison Clark Rickerbys present an incredibly experienced, capable, accessible and dynamic team throughout the corporate support structure.’

‘As a fast growth tech startup we are light on resource and short on time. What we love about the firm is how they have almost become part of our team.’

‘They have a pragmatic and commercial approach in a cost structure that works for SME clients.’

‘The team works as a team should.’

‘A very capable and efficient team. They have great abilities in the medical partnership field too. A growing force.’

“My heartfelt thanks to both Theresa [and Stuart] for their guidance and advice. They are both experts in their fields and it was due to this that the deal went so smoothly.”

Hamid Nawaz-Khan, Alltrust Holdings Limited

Redditch-based logistics group AMCO were recently acquired by global logistics specialist Super Group in a deal advised on by Alison Scott, Head Midlands Corporate team. AMCO looked to Alison for expertise and guidance when they came to sell a 78.82% share in their business.

Alison, along with colleagues from the Corporate, Real Estate and Employment teams, guided them through the process to ensure a deal was reached in a smooth and timely fashion.

Following the acquisition, Seán Trainor, Business Development Director at AMCO, said “I wanted to reach out to say a huge thank you to you and your colleagues who have all successfully negotiated the deal on our behalf. The professionalism, calmness and clarity has been exceptional and without this we would have been left unclear and potentially at risk.”

Following the successful sale of their company, a Wales based client recently gave the following feedback to Partner Theresa Grech, and Associate Delyth Evans of our Corporate Team:

“I would like to thank [Delyth], Theresa and everyone involved for the amazing service and going way above and beyond getting this over the line considering the difficulties we were facing.

“At all times you have acted professionally, promptly, communicated effectively, and in terms that I could understand to enable me to make an informed decision.

I will not hesitate to contact you should I require legal services in the future.”

Helen Higginbotham and the due diligence team recently assisted on an M&A deal for cloud solution provider FluidOne. Their tailored advice and commitment led to the deal being completed smoothly.

Roy Hastings, CFO of FluidOne, said: “We have worked with Helen and the HCR due diligence team on a series of M&A deals over recent years. The team has grown to understand our business and our requirements well and is able to tailor advice and reporting effectively to the specific needs of FluidOne and our investors.

“Where there’s been inevitable timetable pressures on a corporate transaction, Helen and the team have shown a great deal of commitment to the client cause by navigating some intensive periods of work to get a report out on time.”

When connected cloud solutions provider FluidOne required assistance with a recent M&A deal, they turned to Arpinder Dhillon and the corporate team for help, leading to a successful outcome.

Roy Hastings, FluidOne’s CFO, said: “Our business has partnered with Arpinder and her team in relation to a full range of corporate services for a number of years. The level of commitment in terms of client service from the corporate team is unquestionable and is led from the front by Arpinder personally.

“The HCR team all know how to work effectively with FluidOne on M&A, and we have developed ways of working together over multiple successful deals. We are grateful for the team’s dedication to helping us to deliver our strategy and I regularly recommend HCR to colleagues in my network.”

Helen Higginbotham and the due diligence team have received high praise thanks to their continued work with Polaris, one of the leading providers of children’s services in the UK.

In order for Polaris to complete a recent transaction, Helen and her team undertook due diligence processes to ensure the deal would go smoothly.

Richard Knipe, head of mergers and acquisitions for Polaris, said: ““HCR have supported us on a number of transactions in recent years.

“I am always impressed by the scope of work the due diligence team undertake and the volume of documents they review and advise on. Their ability to distil complex matters down to identifying material issues and provide advice and solutions provides the reassurance we need to complete deals.

“Helen and her colleagues are highly experienced and professional. They know our business and what sector specific issues and risks we face. They are always positive and engaging and are a pleasure to work with and I look forward to working with them on future transactions.”

A great result for a property management company drew high praise for Helen Higginbotham who created bespoke articles of association – rules about running a company.

Helen provided advice and support in order to ensure that the documents, tailored to the client’s needs, were created promptly.

Tim T, who instructed Helen, said: “This was a very stressful transaction for me and would not have gone to completion but for the assistance I received from yourselves. I was most impressed with the level of professionalism and the speedy turnaround and am so grateful. A first-rate service.”

 

Our Cheltenham corporate team, led by Tim Ward, have been praised for their clear advice, attention to detail and timely action by clients Helen and Jon Yeomans, when the team acted for them on the sale of their online retail business.

They said: “Tim Ward and his team at HCR Law handled the legal work on the sale of our online retail business in February 2021. Tim had been recommended to us by a friend and fellow solicitor, whose recommendation proved to be more than justified. Right from the outset, Tim gave us clear guidance on what would be involved in the legal process for our business sale and his calm and considered approach was very reassuring during what was a busy and stressful time for us.

Tim has an excellent team around him, all of whom were very pleasant to deal with. We worked in particular with Olivia Brooks and Philippa Shepherd … and we appreciated their attention to detail and their patience. All of our questions (even the silliest ones) were handled with respect and care.

Tim and his team stayed on top of the agreed schedule, were flexible when we hit delays from our buyer’s side, and responses to our emails and phone calls were quick and efficient.

We felt that the HCR Law’s fees were very fair for the quality of advice and service we received and we would be happy to recommend Tim Ward and his team.”

Bringing a new investor into your business is a significant decision and for Caminelle Apperly’s clients Nicholas and Linda Rumney at BBR Optometry Ltd in Hereford, it was important that their own involvement in the business for the future was well-structured.

Caminelle, with support from Arpinder Dhillon and assistance from Sasha Nelson, acted for the Rumneys on the sale of some of their shares to a national investor group. She reviewed and negotiated a share purchase agreement, along with various other ancillary documents and advised them on a shareholders’ agreement and articles of association to regulate the business relationship going forward.

Nicholas Rumney said afterwards:

“We at BBR Optometry and as individuals, are rarely used to solicitors and asking for legal advice except when it's needed. If our experience with HCR is anything to go by you should never be nervous of proper professional advice and their quality is always worth it.

It's the mantra we abide by in our business at BBR Optometry, to offer first class pertinent and up to date clear ophthalmic advice. This is exactly what HCR brought to our recent needs.

In particular, we'd like to single out the partnership oversight of Arpinder Dhillon, the pragmatic detailed legal advice and explanation from Caminelle Apperly and the organisational skills of Sasha Nelson. The HCR team represented our interests throughout and were flexible in terms of timing. You always need a balance of the big picture and attention to detail. HCR have both, in spades. An excellent experience.”

 

Deciding to sell my business was a long and hard decision, but having finally decided it was the way forward my biggest dilemma was how to go about it? Martyn was recommended to me and from my first meeting with him I had every confidence in him, his relaxed and friendly, yet confident and professional, approach was very reassuring. Translating jargon I had no clue about into "everyday language" made things so much easier for me.

He was always available, approachable and never failed to return a phone call. From start to finish, he was at our side guiding and advising us.

I am thankful for the recommendation and would without doubt recommend him to anyone desiring to sell their business.

Peter Raybould from our Corporate team advised Rowan (216) Limited on the sale of Newent based Ladder and Fencing Industries (LFI) Limited.

“Now that we have completed, can I thank you all for all the hard work and professional advice you have undertaken in dealing with my matter. Every dealing with your company has been done in a timely and pleasant manner and you have made the whole process very easy for me. I am so grateful that Henry recommended you and I would wholeheartedly recommend the team at HCR Law.” Harvey Cohen, Practice Principal, Trinity Dental.

Strategic Information Group’s acquisition of data firm Glantus UK was backed by Derek Callanan’s corporate expertise. Their president, Doug Novak, showed his appreciation of Derek’s approach, saying; “The whole process from start to finish was executed superbly and I always felt confident that I had the best team on our side to get this done. Thank you, it has been a pleasure working with you and I hope our paths will cross again.”

US design and manufacturing business Kason Industries Inc, with whom Derek Callanan has worked for some time, have thanked him for his support and assistance with their acquisition of a UK based commercial kitchen and refrigeration component supplier Oxford Hardware Ltd.

David Katz-Doft, Kason Industries’ president, said: “I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support, and for sharing our vision for the sustainable growth and success of Kason Industries, and more importantly – the Kason family. Alex and I appreciate everything you have all done to help us through this acquisition of Oxford Hardware. Your counsel has been invaluable, and we look forward to the growth of our relationship moving forward.”

Combining understanding of the needs of early-stage tech companies and the needs of the investors they seek gives Inger Anson and her team a crucial advantage in providing the seed round support which brings the two parties together.

Acting for pre-revenue firms looking for investment from angel investors, government funds and university commercialisation teams, Inger and her team are based in Cambridge but work nationally.

Because they know what investors need, they can ensure that companies’ legal and investment documents are produced in a way that helps the company but also demonstrates to investors that their requirements will be met.

This gives investors more confidence and faith in the founder teams and enables investment transactions to move forward faster with fewer delays. Costs are kept down and much-needed funds are provided for clients so that their company can grow.

An entrepreneur and angel investor client said of Inger: “I have worked with Inger on investment deals and have found her to be responsive, knowledgeable, good value, trustworthy and a problem solver.”

Her expertise also supported a start-up founder team client, who said: “I found Inger to be comfortably in command of the necessary knowledge, and good to work with. In particular, she was good at explaining which choices we had to make, and was able to guide us through the decision process.”

According to another entrepreneur and active technology angel investor, “Inger is pragmatic in her approach and works hard to simplify and ease the process. She is a pleasure to work with.”

Her skills and judgement won praise from a cleantech investment manager, who said: “Inger has provided excellent support and strong advice with clear explanations. Her commercial understanding is second to none and her negotiation skills are of the highest standard.”

Swift, efficient and commercially-aware advice from Inger Anson  enabled a group of angel investors to back techspert.io, a healthcare-focused expertise consultancy.

They acted as liaison for the lead investor and made sure that documents were distributed and agreed, with funds collected, all within the tight timescale.

Simon Thorpe, head investor of Cambridge Angels, said: “Inger and her team were very helpful and professional throughout; they were always available to answer any queries and were very quick to respond and produce documentation.”

Corporate lawyer Rachel Turner’s experience and expertise drew praise from client Lawrence Hirson, director of Shine Partner Ltd, for her handling of the sale of the share capital of H&L Russel Limited to Scott Brothers Limited.

Lawrence said: “Rachel and her team at HCR went above and beyond to move this transaction forward to a successful conclusion, proactively offering solutions to issues that came up along the way. Rachel herself is commercial, yet thorough and her experience is obvious. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone considering a business sale.”

Corporate and international expertise from Rachel Turner, Mary Pears and Emily Beere, based in Thames Valley, enabled US firm to Seis GEaR Inc make its first UK acquisition, buying the business of Verif-i.

Seis GEaR Inc is a seismic tools and maintenance provider, and acquired Verif-i, which provides auditing and QC services, including technical audits, inspections, and related consulting to key oil company, multi-client data companies and manufacturers both in the marine and land markets.

Mike Burnham of Seis GEaR Inc said: “Buying an existing business is always a difficult process. When you are a company that has only been in business for six months and are buying a business in a foreign country, it can be an absolute nightmare.

“The HCR law team was recommended to us by the seller and it turned out to be one of the best recommendations we have received. The HCR team was very responsive, easy to work with, and more than anything else they worked with us using the spirit of the deal to frame the agreement while meeting all UK required legal parameters.

“They were able to juggle multiple changes on a compressed time schedule while still keeping true to the original goals and the original budget, and we were able to close the deal within 24 hours of our target date. I would recommend Rachel Turner, Mary Pears and the rest of the HCR team to anyone contemplating a merger or acquisition.”

Bringing together health care and corporate expertise, Louise Crook and Peter Raybould advised National Care Group (NCG) on their acquisition of Shelton Care in Stoke-on-Trent, continuing their long-standing relationship with the group.

Shelton Care has multiple facilities in the Stoke-on-Trent area and last year generated more than £10m in revenue. For nearly 30 years they have been providers of residential and nursing care for adults with learning disabilities, autism and other associated support needs.

David Stanhope, Managing Director for NCG, said:

“Shelton Care has made a name for itself in care and education in Stoke. The services and support it provides and, most importantly, its person-centred ethos, fit well with the NCG philosophy. Our first priority is to ensure a seamless transition for service users during the integration period which we are confident will be achieved working closely with the dedicated team at Shelton Care."

“This strategic acquisition continues our drive to expand NCG’s footprint and highlights our growing ability to provide person-centred care throughout the UK.”

Taking the strain out of a business sale

Taking the stress out of selling a business was part of the package when our corporate team, led by Alison Scott, advised Prestige Technology Solutions Limited on its sale to Park Place Technologies LLC

Prestige Technology Solutions Limited, an IT infrastructure solutions provider based in Bromsgrove, were led by John Dawson, who said:

“The recent sale of our company seemed from the outset an extremely daunting and challenging ordeal which, thanks to the professional and efficient help and services supplied by the team at HCR turned out to be an exercise taken in their stride and proficiently executed.

“Alison made the entire experience for us a lot easier than we had ever anticipated. I would not hesitate to engage these guys again in future should such an opportunity re-present itself.”

The shareholders of Hertfordshire-based PHA Communications Limited sought the expertise of our corporate team to advise them on the sale of their business.

Under the guidance of Alison Scott, the shareholders sold the company to Beacon Communication Services Limited for £500,000 within six weeks.

Shareholder Peter Harris said:

“Harrison Clark Rickerbys were excellent during our sale and made the process as simple as possible. They were responsive, efficient and professional with great attention to detail. They quickly grasped the key factors of our requirements and were on hand at all times throughout the deal to give support and advice.

“I would be delighted to work with Alison in the future, should the opportunity arise”

Our corporate team, led by Rebecca Leask, acted for Customade Group Ltd on its sale to Polyframe Group Ltd. The deal created the largest trade fabricator of windows and doors for UK installers. Backed by further investment from Cairngorm Capital Partners LLP, the deal resulted in a group with revenues of more than £100m.

Customade are a leading manufacturer of PVCu windows, doors and conservatory roof products, employing 320 staff, with a turnover of £35m.

Managing Director John Lightowlers said:

“This is the perfect partnership for two businesses with shared values and offers great opportunities. Having worked with Harrison Clark Rickerbys for many years, I knew that their attention to detail, speed and professionalism would be invaluable, and so it proved.”

Our health and social care team advised August Equity on their first bolt-on acquisition, with the purchase of two mixed dental practices in South Yorkshire.

August Equity are a private equity investor already established in the social care and veterinary sectors. This acquisition established August’s first platform for dental investments, Genesis Dental Care.

They said: “Having worked with Harrison Clark Rickerbys on several of our portfolio businesses, we remain very impressed with the professionalism and expertise within the team. In particular Charlotte Thornton-Smith and Clare Emery’s knowledge of the dental sector puts them at the forefront of any dental legal panel and we are delighted to be working with them on several of our acquisitions.”

Arpinder Dhillon acted for the shareholders of Molyslip Atlantic Limited (and United Oil Products) in the matter of the sale of the business to Metalube.

At all stages, she has been very clear on our objectives, very clear on the law and our obligations and potential liabilities, and always gave a strong sense of professionalism and (where possible) pragmatism.

She has worked long hours, always been available, and reacted with speed and accuracy.

She has made an exhausting process as smooth as possible, and actively stood up for her clients.

I would highly recommend her services to anyone considering the sale of a business, and would have no hesitation in using her in any such transaction.

Peter Haig (Former director and shareholder of Molyslip)