Press Releases

A cross-departmental deal team from Shoosmiths led by partner Jonathan Dunkley and legal director Tom Swain, has advised ETM Group on its acquisition of the key trading assets of Maven Leisure, including the London-based roof-top bar Wagtail, and sports bars and restaurants Goldwood and Beechwood.ETM Group is a leading hospitality company known for its portfolio of premium bars, restaurants, and pubs across London ...

Shoosmiths today announces that commercial law expert Craig Chaplin has joined the firm as a partner to strengthen the team’s expertise in Complex Contracting, Tech & IT, IP, Energy & Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Privacy & Data.Throughout his 30-year career Craig has become a trusted adviser to several household-name brands across the retail and technology sector, particularly in Manchester ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised Leonardo in cementing its commercial relationship with Conrad Energy, with a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the 11.25MW output of the Camp Road solar farm, that will supply the Leonardo Yeovil site with 100% green energy. The project recently received planning permission from Somerset Council and construction is anticipated to begin later this year ...

Shoosmiths has advised Santander UK on a financing agreement for Riverway Retail Park in Scotland, provided to David Samuel Properties and brokered by GDP Funding.The law firm advised on the banking and real estate elements of the transaction, including drafting the facility agreement and security package, property due diligence, and coordinating the redemption of existing facilities ...

Shoosmiths’ real estate investment group has advised on the £99m sale of Festival Place, a 1.1 million sq ft shopping centre in Basingstoke.The firm acted for the seller – instructed by BDO as fixed charge receivers – in a deal that sees MDSR Investments acquire the centre. Shoosmiths has advised the scheme’s owners for more than a decade ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised Hilco Capital on the acquisition of Lakeland, the renowned family-owned homewares retailer.Hilco Capital, the pre-eminent investor known for its numerous successful high street turnarounds, entered into advanced talks with Lakeland's management and shareholders to finalise the management buyout following a search for new investment ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised Addtech on its acquisition of AMP Power Protection Ltd (AMP), a company specialising in rugged Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and Power Protection systems for harsh environments, including the defence, marine, and transport industries ...

Shoosmiths today announces expert real estate finance lawyer James Salford has joined the Banking & Finance team to enhance the firm’s capabilities in real estate finance, particularly across the hotels & leisure sector.James joins from Bird & Bird where he spent five years as a Partner and Head of Real Estate Finance (REF). Prior to this, he spent 14 years as a Partner at Addleshaw Goddard ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has just refreshed its approach to ESG with the launch of its first sustainability strategy in line with the firm’s aims to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2040, with fresh initiatives including the development of a Sustainability Steering Committee and new sustainability-centred role ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has led property developers Torsion Group and Khalbros on one of the largest transactions seen in Yorkshire, marking a significant moment for real estate development in Leeds.In a joint venture between Torsion and Khalbros, the property businesses have acquired Eastgate Quarter to begin a £1bn mixed-use regeneration project in what is being considered one of the most ambitious city centre developments in the UK ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has successfully advised on the restructuring plan for OutsideClinic, a leading UK provider of in-home eye and hearing tests. The court-sanctioned plan, approved on March 28, 2025, marks a significant development in UK restructuring case law.The restructuring plan was initiated in response to financial challenges faced by OutsideClinic, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and strategic acquisitions that adversely affected revenue ...

Shoosmiths has led on legal negotiations for five co-operative independent society members (ISMs) - Lincolnshire Co-op, Scotmid Co-op, East of England Co-op, Southern Co-op and Central Co-op, who led on the deal - have signed a landmark 10-year corporate power purchase agreement (CPPA) with RWE, the UK's largest power generator and a global leader in renewable energy, to supply electricity from renewable energy sources to over 400 locations across the UK ...

Landmark move rewards AI adoption to accelerate smarter, faster, better client service.Shoosmiths has reinforced its position at the forefront of legal innovation by becoming the first major law firm to link a firmwide bonus to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by its workforce. The firm has set a clear and ambitious annual target: one million Microsoft Copilot prompts to unlock a £1m bonus pot for staff in its new financial year ...

Shoosmiths has brought on Kate Dodsworth as a Partner in the National Employment Team (NET), enhancing the firm’s capability to service living and education sector clients on a national scale.Based in Shoosmiths’ Leeds office, Kate joins after almost two decades at Pinsent Masons - where she has been since her qualification ...

Shoosmiths announces that invitations are open as of 17 March 2025 for the next round of the Shoosmiths Foundation funding. Applications for projects in the UK that advance access to justice have the opportunity to receive grants from the Foundation worth between £25,000 and £50,000 going towards the successful applicants ...

Shoosmiths today announces the appointment of noted M&A and Corporate Finance lawyer Kurt Ma as a partner in London.He joins the Corporate team, where he will develop the firm’s premium, cross-border M&A offering, particularly in financial services and technology. Kurt joins from BCLP, where he managed an international practice advising corporates, funds and financial institutions on M&A, PE, joint ventures, and investments ...

Shoosmiths today announces that the firm has brought in a six-person intellectual property (IP) team, led by partners Dominic Farnsworth and Leigh Smith, who are set to add strength and depth to the firm’s market-leading IP capability, as well as add new high-profile clients in the technology, financial services and consumer brands sectors ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised asset management group Gresham House on the sale of Independent Wealth Planners (IWP) and its two trading businesses (IWP Financial Planning Limited and IWP Investment Management Limited) to Titan Wealth - including approximately £6.6bn of client assets.Those advising on the sale from Shoosmiths included partner Alastair Peet, principal associate Charlotte Cannell and associate Melissa Gray ...

Shoosmiths has advised a joint venture between Invesco Real Estate, the USD 85bn global real estate investment business of Invesco Ltd (NYSE: IVZ), and PLATFORM_ on the successful sale of a build to rent (BTR) portfolio located across the south of England.The law firm acted for the real estate investor and BTR developer and operator on the sale to LRC Group ...

Shoosmiths today announces the appointment of Partner Mark Churchman to the firm’s Private Equity (PE) team within the Corporate practice. Mark is set to strengthen the Corporate team’s capabilities by providing sectoral expertise among existing energy and infrastructure (E&I) and tech clients, while generating additional streams of work with US-based sponsors investing in the UK and Europe ...

Shoosmiths has introduced its new firmwide talent development framework, One Shoosmiths, to ensure that the firm’s people perform, develop and progress.The framework, created using employee feedback, working groups and up-to-date external legal industry benchmarks, provides a structured approach to career development and clear pathways for progression ...

Law firm Shoosmiths has advised Five Arrows, the alternative assets arm of Rothschild & Co, on its investment into Schivo Medical (Schivo) - a medtech contract development and manufacturing organisation specialising in high precision engineering for the robotic assisted surgery, minimally invasive surgery and life sciences sectors.Schivo is headquartered in Waterford, Ireland and operates from four sites across Ireland, US and Canada ...

Shoosmiths advised on the phased acquisition of Hampshire Sport & Leisure Holdings Limited by GMR Global Pte Ltd, marking the first foreign ownership in English Cricket.Shoosmiths has advised Rod Bransgrove and the majority sellers of Hampshire Sport & Leisure Holdings Limited, owner of the Utilita Bowl site and Hampshire Cricket, on a phased acquisition which will see GMR Global Pte Ltd (GMR), take an immediate majority stake and aim to complete a 100% takeover in the next two years ...

Shoosmiths today announces the appointment of Partner Peter Richards-Gaskin to the firm’s Financial Services Disputes and Investigations (FSDI) team, along with Senior Associate James Kidd and Legal Disputes Advisor Brendon Vipond ...

Shoosmiths has advised international investment firm DTCP on leading a $80m Series B investment into UK-based robotics and data intelligence company start-up Dexory.The law firm advised DTCP on the funding round, which included participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic and several angels from the logistics industry. As part of the investment, DTCP’s Michael Rager joins Dexory’s board of directors ...