The corporate team at leading independent law firm Brabners finished 2022 having advised on £550 million-worth of deals, with M&A activity remaining strong despite challenging economic conditions.
The 49-strong team – one of the largest corporate law practices in the North – advised on 127 transactions throughout the year, marking a second consecutive year in which the team exceeded its pre-pandemic performance.
The firm’s dealmakers supported on deals in a range of sectors, including a number of cross-border transactions.
Key activity included advising on several substantial transactions, including the sale of Sentric Music to Utopia and supporting the floatation of healthcare firm Probiotix.
The team has also been advising Terminal Investment Limited Sàrl on various container terminal port transactions in Europe, Africa and The USA; and supported The Hague Group’s acquisition of PSL Print Management.
Brabners also continued to support the transition of a range of businesses to employee ownership following the launch of its specialist Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) team, with clients including Evolve Family Law, Creed Communications and Dent Instrumentation.
The corporate team’s performance reflects a positive year for Brabners as a whole, which saw the firm achieve B-Corp status and complete relocations for both its Lancashire and Manchester teams to new Grade A office spaces. The firm also launched its new Leeds office, including the addition of three senior hires within the corporate practice – with more expected in the New Year.
Sam Mabon, head of corporate (Manchester) at Brabners, said: “While 2022 may not have heralded the long-awaited return to economic stability that firms have craved post-Covid, M&A activity held up remarkably well during a year of rampant inflation, declining consumer confidence and ongoing labour shortages. Indeed, after an uptick in deal activity at the beginning of the year, we’ve seen a steady flow of high value deals driven by market consolidation and we would expect to see more inward investment in the next 12 months as multinational firms look to take advantage of weak sterling.
“From a personal perspective, it’s been a pleasure to welcome new faces to the firm – including a number of leading partners in our new Leeds office, which will continue to strengthen our position across the North and nationally.”
