Our ‘City-facing’ corporate finance team based in Birmingham, offers clients a genuine ‘one stop shop’ service for all types of investment funds from formation and fundraising, reconstruction and mergers, investments and ongoing regulatory and management compliance. We combine specialist expertise in relevant regulatory, tax, corporate and partnership law with industry knowledge gained over many years of experience acting in this sector, not only as lawyers but also as London Stock Exchange sponsors, investment company directors and secretaries and retained regulatory and tax advisers.
Our corporate finance team leads the way in the VCT market, showing more VCT activity (from fund launches, fund investments and fund mergers and reconstructions) than any other legal team in the country. In 2007 and 2008 we were voted the Best EIS Legal Advisers by the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association. We also act for investment trusts, unit trusts and limited partnership funds, as well as acting on a variety of reconstructions and acquisitions of secondary portfolios. The team has a particular specialism in structuring investment and transactions, both of a venture capital and of a private equity nature, borne from an understanding of the tax and regulatory requirements for tax-advantage investment funds. The team also has significant expertise in the environmental and technology sectors - a good understanding of which leads to the ability to give commercial and practical advice to clients.
We work with many leading fund managers running venture capital funds including Foresight Group, ISIS Equity Partners, Matrix Private Equity, Octopus Investments and Maven Capital Partners.
In a market of uncertain real estate values we are also advising on the establishment of investment funds which aggregate property assets, such as shopping centres and hotels, to achieve critical mass so that property managers, owners and banks will be first in line to raise cash or achieve a sale with a premium when the market improves.
At the other end of the spectrum we advise many venture capital funds which invest in high-growth technology-based companies as a result of our connections with well over 80 higher education and public sector research institutions, including DTI -awarded investment funds.
A proactive team of ‘can do’ lawyers who are known for their market expertise and project management approach.
Please contact Kavita Patel on kavita.patel@martineau-uk.com or 0870 763 1645 for more information or advice.