The corporate and banking teams at law firm Shakespeare Martineau have supported a record- breaking £6.6 billion-worth of deals during 2024, including more than £259 million in the South West alone.
Experts in mergers and acquisitions, fast-growth businesses, investment funds and finance, Shakespeare Martineau’s corporate team has expanded to meet client demand over the past year, including several partner hires and the appointment of a six-strong healthcare specialist team.
Sector deal highlights include technology and healthcare, as well approximately £1 billion-worth of deals in the energy sector alone. The firm’s single largest deal came in at £2.9 billion for an undisclosed fund manager.
Notable transactions in the South West include supporting specialist lender Black & White Bridging in securing a new funding line worth £100 million.
Michael Stace, partner and head of corporate, said:
“Despite deal volumes declining globally, our team has seen growth in transaction numbers and size driven in part by the investments we have made in the team over the past 12-18 months.
“The mid-market was reasonably buoyant in 2024 with certain sectors – such as technology, healthcare, energy and business services – being particularly active. Naturally, the autumn budget sped up a number of transactions in the second half of the year, while others held-off, showing caution in their approach.
“In 2025, I’m expecting to see continued consolidation in the healthcare sector, more deals in technology and AI in particular, and increasing activity in the green energy space. While the market isn’t brimming with confidence, our deal pipeline is stronger than it was in January 2024 and we’ve continued to invest in our team so I’m feeling optimistic about the new year.”
Paul Hardman, corporate partner in the firm’s Bristol hub, added:
“2024 was a busy year for the Bristol team after a weaker 2023. A total deal value of £259 million beats all previous records for the team, even allowing for our super deal, the £100 million funding line for Black & White Bridging. We are grateful to our existing clients and referral sources for a good mixture of M&A and MBO work, as well as tax-driven re-structuring, with work coming to us across the South West. 2025 is promising to be even busier for us with notable enquiries from Chinese investors into the South West.”
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