Burges Salmon has won the title of Corporate Law Firm of the Year at the Insider South West Dealmakers Awards 2013.
The corporate team at Burges Salmon, which acts on high quality transactions across a wide range of sectors for clients of all sizes, is one of the largest in the South West. In 2012 the team worked on deals worth £3.5bn and this positive trend has continued throughout 2013 with a significant number of high value, quality deals. As well as maintaining strong relationships with the professional community across the South West and the UK in general, the team has also seen a growth in international transactions, working closely with a trusted network of overseas independent law firms.
Burges Salmon attracts a broad range of South West, national and international clients including work for companies such as Stage Electrics, Oasis Healthcare, Arla Milk Link, Gresham Private Equity, Business Growth Fund, E.ON, FirstGroup and the Competition Commission. Furthermore, the corporate team’s sector expertise spans a number of specialist areas including energy, financial services, food & drink, transport & logistics and leisure & recreation.
Institute of Directors South West Chairman Richard Ayre recently said of Burges Salmon: “While Burges Salmon has its roots here in Bristol, the firm works globally where required to cater for a high profile portfolio of clients and is a great success story for the region.”
The work that Burges Salmon undertook advising Gresham Private Equity on the £25 million management buyout of Investis in October 2012 was one of Insider’s 2012 Deals of the Year. The team worked closely with Mitch Titley from Gresham’s Bristol office, as well as a network of law firms across Germany, Finland, Italy and India. Other notable South West work includes advising the management team on the c.£185 million sale of the UK’s largest private dental chain, Oasis Healthcare, which has its HQ in Bristol, to Bridgepoint, and also advising Business Growth Fund on its c.£4 million investment in Trunki (South West Insider’s ‘Deal of the Month’ in April 2013).
The team has also contributed to a number of Insider’s previous ‘Deals of the Year’, including the £70 million transaction between LDC and specialist gas and chemical company, A-Gas, and Piper Equity’s £16 million investment in café-bar chain Loungers.
Richard Spink, head of corporate finance at Burges Salmon, said: “We are delighted to have been named as Law Firm of the Year at the South West Insider Dealmakers Awards 2013. Many of our clients are seeing opportunities in the current environment and we’re delighted to be able to support them - thereby contributing to some of the most exciting deals in the region.”
In its sixth year for 2013, the Insider South West Dealmakers Awards recognise the wealth of talent from the region's professional services sector and highlight the best firms in the South West. The winners were announced at a black tie ceremony that took place at the Thistle Grand Hotel in Bristol on Thursday 27 June 2013. More information is available at Insider South West Dealmakers Awards.