England
20 March 2023 – Law firm Shoosmiths has launched ESG 360, a free online compliance audit tool to enable organisations to understand their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance.ESG 360 users receive a personalised report providing red, amber or green ratings in relation to various elements of ESG compliance performance, alongside commentary and suggestions for improvement
England
Shoosmiths’ energy and infrastructure team has advised Iceland Foods on a ten-year corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with Octopus Energy’s generation arm.The signing of the PPA will see green power supplied to the frozen food retailer from the Breach solar farm in Cambridgeshire, which energy giant Octopus manages on behalf of Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust (ORIT).
The solar farm will provide c
England
2022 proved to be a turbulent year for the UK real estate industry. It ushered in a period of high inflation and interest rates - making funding and building developments challenging.The long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic also posed further operational and financial difficulties for the residential and commercial property sectors
England
Shoosmiths corporate restructuring and advisory (CR&A) team has advised Brewham Holdings Ltd on the purchase of certain assets and business of well-known London estate agency Douglas and Gordon from its joint administrators, Philip Stephenson and Oliver Haunch of Grant Thornton.As many jobs as possible were saved through the deal which will see the same existing business continue to be provided.
The deal was led by CR&A partner Lee Sennett and principal associate Hollie Wrigley
England
Law firm Shoosmiths has advised UK-based electric vehicle charging company EVC on a deal securing up to £165 million capital from funds managed by Denham Sustainable Infrastructure (DSI), an arm of global energy transition investment firm, Denham Capital
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Law firm Shoosmiths has reflected on a year of exceptional performance by its corporate team, having advised on more than 400 transactions with an aggregate deal value of £5bn from January to December 2022.Corporate activity levels remained elevated throughout last year, with Shoosmiths’ corporate team working across a record number of deals spanning private equity, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and venture capital – many with a strong cross-border element
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Law firm Shoosmiths has been crowned Legal Provider of the Year 2023 British Credit Awards, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management (CICM).Individuals, teams and organisations gathered on 2 February at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London to recognise and celebrate the stand-out achievements of the international credit industry
England
Shoosmiths’ real estate investment team has acted for the seller on the £305m sale of a nationwide car park portfolio.The law firm advised on all real estate aspects of the transaction, which sees GreenPoint Partners acquire 37 car parks located across England, Wales and Scotland. The sites are primarily operated by NCP and comprise nearly 15,000 spaces
England
Law firm Shoosmiths is celebrating the impact of funds donated by its Foundation to End Youth Homelessness and Street League charities.The Shoosmiths Foundation awarded a total of £90,000 in October 2021 to tackle youth homelessness and unemployment, supporting the firm’s strategic aim to advance social mobility in line with the Shoosmiths social mobility action plan
England
LAW firm Shoosmiths has announced the appointment of Rachel Reid as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective March 2023. Rachel is to join from DLA Piper where she worked with the managing director of the Africa, Asia Pacific and Middle East regions, to drive growth, operational efficiency and embed the firm’s culture and values
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A programme initiated by Aston University in partnership with law firm Shoosmiths which supports local students from under-represented backgrounds towards a career in law has garnered support from Virgin Media O2 and CILEX, prior to its first in-person event this week.The Pathways to Law programme was created as a response to the Government’s plans to improve access to high skilled and high paid jobs
England
Female founders and women in venture capital found inspiration from a powerhouse of world class industry speakers at a ground-breaking female entrepreneurship event hosted by leading law firm Shoosmiths.The spHERe Summit 2023 – ‘leading successful change’, was held in partnership with London & Partners, and hosted at Shoosmiths’ London base in Bow Churchyard
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Law firm Shoosmiths further strengthens its offering in line with growing client demand with the appointment of two partners at its London office.Oliver Pilkington and Nick McCarthy both join Shoosmiths from BDB Pitmans. Their appointment expands Shoosmiths’ equity capital market (ECM) capability, building on the success of Shoosmiths’ market leading private equity and venture capital practice
England
UK businesses are taking vital steps to address environmental, social and governance issues (ESG) within the workplace, according to research by law firm Shoosmiths.21 percent are implementing a reduction in business travel, 21 percent a diversity and inclusion strategy and 18 percent are reviewing their supplier credentials.
Environmentally friendly ‘green benefits’ are also being introduced by a further 18 percent
England
Shoosmiths corporate restructuring & advisory group have advised administrators Interpath Advisory, on the sale of the majority of the business and assets of Joules Group plc and Joules Limited to a newly formed company which is a joint venture set up by NEXT plc (NEXT) and Joules founder, Tom Joule.The new company has acquired around 100 Joules stores, with approximately 1,450 employees across these stores
England
The Social Mobility Foundation has unveiled this year’s Social Mobility Employer Index, including Shoosmiths as one of 75 leading businesses leading the way on social change.The Social Mobility Employer Index was launched in 2017 and has become a leading authority on employer-led social mobility. It assesses and ranks UK employers on the actions they take to ensure they are open to talent from all social backgrounds
England
The new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has today unveiled the contents of the Autumn Statement. Our rail, corporate, pensions, employment, technology and tax experts give their views on the measures announced, below.Michelle Craven-Faulkner, partner and rail lead at Shoosmiths, said:
“A reliable, sustainable and well-connected rail network is pivotal to driving economic growth across the UK
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Shoosmiths was named Legal Team of the Year at the EG Awards 2022.The awards brought together more than 700 real estate professionals for a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House hotel on 2 November 2022. The judges recognised the law firm’s real estate practice for its pre-eminent expertise and commitment to client excellence
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Law firm Shoosmiths has donated a total of £49,690 from the Shoosmiths Foundation to JERICHO, a charity supporting employment opportunities for people experiencing inequality in the job market.The Shoosmiths Foundation was launched in 2021 to complement the law firm’s existing community investment programme, which supports local charity partners through staff fundraising and firm donations, staff volunteering and the provision of legal advice pro bono
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LAW firm Shoosmiths’ specialist digital infrastructure team has advised Foresight Group LLP (Foresight), a sustainably led alternative asset manager, in a significant investment in F&W Networks Limited as it looks to support the roll out of F&W Network’s full-fibre-to-the-premise network.The funding will add to the 185,000 premises already benefitting from F&W Networks infrastructure and create additional local jobs across the South of England
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Shoosmiths has supported Revolution Bars Group on its acquisition of Peach Pub Company.The law firm advised Revolution, which operates 69 bars across the UK, on the real estate aspects of the £16.5m deal that sees it acquire Peach and its collection of 21 premium pubs
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Law firm Shoosmiths has been recognised as a leading firm in rankings released by directories, Chambers and Partners, and The Legal 500.Both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 are widely perceived by the legal sector as leading authorities on law firm benchmarking in practice areas by region or territory.
The launch of the 2023 UK Guide from Chambers and Partners this week saw Shoosmiths ranked in the top six firms with the most Chambers rankings with a total of 69
England
Law firm Shoosmiths has been recognised as a top firm for innovation in Europe by the Financial Times, which publishes research findings in its annual Innovative Lawyers Special Report.The report contains an index of firms, and articles which highlight innovations in the legal sector, and is the most widely respected published assessments for innovation in the law
England
A brand-new forum to support businesses across the North West to make a positive difference has been launched by three advisory firms: law firm Shoosmiths, accountancy and tax practice RSM and wealth manager RBC Brewin Dolphin.'Business Doing Good' is an informal roundtable organised by the trio which aims to help businesses use the strengths of the charity sector to ‘effect positive change’ and to add ‘real value through ESG (Environment, Social and Governance)’
England
The largest research study ever undertaken into female entrepreneurship highlights in gender terms the disparity between male and female-led companies in Scotland and the rest of the UK. Drawing on AI-powered live data from over 4.5 million businesses UK-wide and with the aim of creating a fairer future, key statistics from the accurate analysis by The Gender Index data reveal that while 16.8% of all active UK companies are female-led, the number is lower in Scotland (15.4%)
