Corporate
Most large firms have a corporate department that provides broad legal advice on commercial issues. What makes our team different is that we provide a unique combination of corporate experience integrated with tax advice across the US, Europe and Asia.
Each member of our team has an understanding of the personal and corporate issues that impact our clients both in their business and private lives. It is this unusual blend of knowledge that allows us to offer an individual service to the leaders of public and privately held organizations.
We frequently act as general counsel, advising on all legal aspects of their day-to-day operations and deal flow.
Clients include financial institutions, entrepreneurs, public and privately owned businesses operating across numerous business sectors such as brands, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, services, hotels and leisure, information technology, media and telecoms.
The team advises on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and financing, licensing, real estate, employment, corporate governance, joint ventures, partnerships, strategic alliances, commercial litigation and corporate and partnership tax issues.
Key to our advice is gaining a detailed understanding of each client's business goals. Our close working relationship with colleagues in other parts of the firm mean we understand the interrelated nature of tax issues, business, estate and cross border wealth planning and the effect that these factors can have on our clients' corporate legal needs.
We have a particular focus on cross-border investment strategy and with seven offices worldwide and both US qualified lawyers in our European offices and UK qualified lawyers in our US offices we are able to work with global clients in a seamless, integrated and efficient manner.
Recent work
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Acted as US Counsel to Soho House, the luxury private-members' club group, in the sale of a majority stake to Yucaipa Company.
- Withers acted for the majority shareholder on the sale of its stake in QPR to Tony Fernandes'sTune Group. This deal underlines the Withers' commercial team's reputation in acting on high profile and high value deals and validates its focus on acting for the wealthy on merger & acquisition deals and other transactions in the wider brands sector.
- Represented the founders of the South Beach Diet in the sale of the South Beach Diet brand to MidOcean Partners, a leading private equity firm.
- Represented an individual in their investment in a California limited liability company that is in the business of owning, developing and managing citrus groves in California.
- Advised Natalie Massenet, founder of online luxury fashion retailer Net-a-Porter, on its £350 million sale to Swiss luxury goods group Richemont.
- Advised Peter Lammer and Jan Hruska, founders of Sophos plc, an IT security and data protection specialist, on its sale to Apax Partners. The transaction valued Sophos at $830m. Paul McGrath led the Withers team advising the founders with tax input from John Riches and Sophie Dworetzsky. We are increasingly acting for our entrepreneurial private clients on their business transactions and this is a notable example.
- Represented the US subsidiaries of Waterford Wedgwood and Royal Doulton in the sale to NY-based private equity firm KPS Capital Partners. The complex transaction involved assets in Ireland, England, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, Canada and the U.S. (the largest market).
- Advised a UK entity which provides personal concierge and lifestyle management services, in establishing its first US office in New York City.
- Acted for Sarita Capital Investment Inc. in respect of the £14m takeover of QPR Holdings Limited, the holding company of the Championship football club.
- Acted for the owners of Soho House, the luxury private-members' club group, on its sale to billionaire rag-trade tycoon Richard Caring for a total price of £105m.
