Our People

Jeremy is a partner in the firm who specialises in corporate transactions and company law. Jeremy advises directors and shareholders at all stages in the business life-cycle; from startups and scaleups through to restructuring, succession planning and exit strategies.

Working with businesses in a wide range of sectors, many of his clients are involved in the care home, technology, leisure and tourism, engineering, manufacturing, and property sectors.

Jeremy typically advises clients on:

• mergers and acquisitions;
• management buy-ins and buy-outs;
• business disposals, both share and asset sales;
• creating and restructuring corporate groups including share exchanges and share buybacks, often for consolidation or risk and value management;
• structuring a new business venture, and drafting the shareholders’ agreement and articles of association;
• agreements with investors, whether banks or venture capital, and protecting either the interests of minority shareholders or the investor;
• re-finances, lending/borrowing and security documentation;
• EMI and other non-qualifying share incentive schemes, including growth share schemes; and
• joint venture agreements.

Jeremy is known for his ‘attention to organisation’ and ability to develop rapport with clients to enable all parties to work together towards a successful outcome. Clients also appreciate the fact that he keeps them up to date and is a good communicator, happy to talk matters through on the telephone or face to face if that is easier.

Recent example of deals which Jeremy has advised on include:

• the sale of a significant property and marine based business which involved difficult and protracted dealings with the local authority which required understanding and persistence, whilst keeping the client in the loop as to what was going on;
• advising a large number of clients, often where there is a new minority shareholding being created or a joint venture, on the drafting and putting in place of shareholder agreements. The ability to chat to the client about the main issues involved and to guide the clients through these issues in light of the client’s specific circumstances helps with the completion of this exercise and ensures all parties understand what they have agreed to;
• the sale of a hotel and leisure company, valued at £150 million, to a private equity firm where Jeremy assisted with the disclosure process on the transaction ensuring all matters where a possible post completion liability could have arisen were disclosed, successfully meeting a critical timetable;
• a £40 million group restructuring exercise for an international insurance sector company with operations in Eire, Malta, the USA, and a number of other offshore jurisdictions; and
• a £2.5 million sale of an online marketing business working predominantly in the banking and finance sector (where there was a large deferred cash and share issue element, both of which were successfully received in full) where the sale was to a much bigger business (with international law firm representation) looking to build an international suite of businesses to hit a crystallization point which enabled an onward sale of the collective and where all parties involved were able to participate in the uplift. This led to a further transaction involving the sale of a start-up business retained by the client at the time of the original transaction to the same buyer.

Accolades, Accreditations and Memberships

Adviser to Poole Quays Forums who are consulted by local planning bodies in connection with proposed development in the Poole area.

Outside the office

Jeremy is a qualified yachtmaster (with sail), commercial fishing skipper and RFU plus IRB international rugby referee (having previously played for various clubs here and abroad). Jeremy has refereed international IRB Sevens rugby.