News & Events | News

Wednesday 27th June 2007

SJ Berwin is delighted to announce that it was named "Corporate Team of the Year - Mid Markets" at The Lawyer Awards held last night for our role advising Merchant Equity Partners on in the high profile purchase of MFI Retail.

Head of Corporate, Steven Davis commented: "We are very pleased to be recognised for our work on this complex and innovative transaction.  This deal demonstrates the strength and depth of our M&A practice across the whole firm - Investment Funds, Real Estate, Commercial, Finance, Pensions, Employment, Tax and other teams -  were all key contributors enabling us to deliver a successful outcome for Merchant Equity Partners in a transaction conducted under the media spotlight."

The news of winning this award comes on the back of the SJ Berwin European buyouts team being ranked No 1 in the mergermarket European buyouts by volume table for the first half of 2007.

The cross departmental team advising on this transaction was led by Head of Corporate, Steven Davis together with Corporate partners Mark Sanders, Graham Nicholson and Nicholas Plant assisted by corporate associates Andrew Wingfield and Ruth Vamplew. In addition, Commercial partner Andrew Shindler and associate Paul Taker, Real Estate partner Nick Minkoff and associate Helen Murcott, Pensions partner Wyn Derbyshire, Insolvency partners Stephen Maffey and Mike Woollard, Finance associate Katherine Baker, Litigation partner Alex Leitch and associate James Paterson all led teams in their departments.

For further information, please contact:
Steven Davis, Head of Corporate on 020 7111 2660 or by emailing steven.davis@sjberwin.com
Mark Sanders, Corporate Partner on 0207 111 2429 or by emailing mark.sanders@sjberwin.com
Aurelia Spivey, Business Development Manager on 020 7111 2060 or by emailing aurelia.spivey@sjberwin.com
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• With more than 200 corporate finance lawyers, the depth and breadth of expertise of our pan-European Corporate Finance Department is considerable.  We offer the complete range of corporate finance services, which extends to all aspects of domestic and cross-border M&A and buy-outs, private equity, equity capital markets, financial services and tax.  Our buyouts team is currently ranked No 1in the mergermarket European buyouts by volume table for the first half of 2007.
  
  
• SJ Berwin was created and thrives as a leading-edge legal services business, focusing on the European and international market place. Our clients are sophisticated buyers of legal services, principally entrepreneurial companies and financial institutions, whom we advise on a comprehensive range of services including Corporate, Commercial, Real Estate, Finance, Reconstruction & Insolvency, Financial Services, Litigation, Employment & Pensions, EU & Competition and Tax.
  
  
• The private equity team has won a number of recent awards including:
  - "Corporate Team of the Year - Mid Markets" at The Lawyer Awards 2007,
  - "Fund Formation Team of the Year" 2006 at the Financial News Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Advisory Services,
  - "European Law Firm of the Year" 2004 -  2006 at the EVCA/Real Deals European Private Equity Awards,
  - "European Law Firm of the Year" (fund formation) 2001 - 2007 by subscribers to PrivateEquityOnline and Private Equity       International
  - "Private Equity Law Firm of the Year" 2004 -  2007 at the European Venture Capital journal awards 2004
  - "LBO Firm of the Year" 2004 at the Finance and Law Awards in Paris
  
  
• On 1 June 2005, SJ Berwin became SJ Berwin LLP, a limited liability partnership.  www.sjberwin.com.  SJ Berwin LLP or an affiliated undertaking has an office in Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris and Turin.