Corporate Growth for Clarion

The now 20-strong corporate team is led by partners Richard Moran, Jonathan Simms and Sarah Harrison, who was promoted to partner in June this year. The practice, which The Lawyer named as the third fastest growing law firm in Europe, has announced the appointment of both Michelle Kershaw and Nicola Cooper as legal directors in the corporate team.

During the last 12 months, the team has advised on a wide range of M&A deals across a variety of sectors, attracting work nationally as well as seeing a rising percentage of international transactions, both inbound and outbound.

Some transaction highlights included the sale of SaaS platform Hark Systems to SolarEdge, a global leader in smart energy technology and recently advising Frasers Group on its sale of online fashion retailer Missguided. The team also advised the national logistics operator Expect Distribution on its recent acquisition of Pallet Plus. 

Sarah Harrison said: “After another very busy 12 months which saw us top the Experian Market IQ table for the fifth consecutive year as the most active legal adviser in the region, we are continuing to use the strength of our base in Leeds to export our legal skills not only to London and across the UK, but increasingly on behalf of large corporates completing transactions overseas, and for international businesses undertaking acquisitions in the UK.

“Alongside this ongoing growth, we are continuing to invest in recruiting and developing talent to enable us to compete with the very best legal firms globally. With Leeds enjoying a central position in the UK economy and with a rich pool of graduate talent, it provides a strong location from which to do business across the country and overseas. One positive development of remote working is that clients are now focusing on sourcing the best, most cost-effective professional advice rather than on geographic proximity.”

Michelle Kershaw comments: “Clarion’s commitment to establishing long-term relationships with dynamic businesses, acting as a trusted adviser and ensuring that transactions are completed, is helping the team to win work which would traditionally have gone to London firms. Clarion is now routinely working cross-border, whether with blue-chip clients in Europe, the Far East or the US and this was a key criteria in my decision to join such a thriving practice.”

Nicola Cooper adds: “The team’s expertise in M&A, recognised both within the corporate finance industry and the wider business community, means that we’re attracting even more interesting and exciting work and supporting some fantastic clients. When I learnt of Clarion’s interest in me, it was an easy decision to join.”