Contact Rob
Rob is a solutions focused, commercial solicitor with over 25 years’ experience of advising SME business owners/management on the range of legal issues they face across the life of their business.
Previously the owner of a specialist practice where he was responsible for all commercial work undertaken, Rob’s expertise lies in two main areas:
Helping clients establish, grow, and often exit their business
From setting up business structures, to advising on business contracts (terms and conditions, commercial contracts etc), engaging key staff, and bringing on investors through to identifying and implementing exit strategies, including dealing with mergers, joint ventures, restructuring, business sales and purchases.
Helping clients resolve or avoid disputes
Including audits to reduce and manage risk, training on due diligence when contracting with suppliers and customers, through to dispute resolution procedures of all types (including litigation – particularly before the Business and Property, Technology and Construction courts), construction adjudications/arbitrations, and mediation.
Rob is an accredited CMC registered mediator with Clerksroom, and is a frequent speaker/presenter/trainer on subjects such as buying/selling businesses, data protection/privacy law, and dispute resolution.
Rob's Experience
- Working long-term with a business owner identifying a strategy to exit his business and realise maximum value. This included “tidying” the business to prepare it for sale, identifying potential sellers, and assisting with negotiations leading to a competed share sale agreement.
- Advising a specialist software company, and leading negotiations on a framework supply agreement for its services to be rolled out in jurisdictions across the globe. This involved some urgent and detailed analysis of the application of GDPR, and some challenging negotiations on the ownership of IP rights.
- Helping a listed franchising organisation to defend a multi-party £multi-million arbitration case, which involved defeating a spurious attempt by the claimants to start insolvency proceedings and negotiating confidential settlements protecting the company’s brand.
- Assisting a renewable energy company to resolve a number of tricky arbitrations where the other parties refused to pay following the insolvency of the company’s foreign based parent. Proactively pursuing claims, leading to positive settlements and allowing construction work to be finalised with significant monies recovered.
- Acting for sellers in a £10m share sale which needed to be completed in short time to allow the listed purchaser to make significant stock exchange announcements. Working effectively with clients (and purchaser’s solicitors – two firms and 8 layers in total) to amend, approve and complete all documentation (including affording protection to the sellers with limited warranties and indemnities, and a full disclosure letter). Transaction completed on time, and to agreed cost budgets.
Rob enjoys live music (usually involving loud guitars), watching rugby, cricket and athletics (formerly a coach but now pursuing his official’s qualifications), and walking with his wife and their black labrador Ned across the beautiful Shropshire countryside.
Member Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
CMC Registered Mediator via Clerksroom Mediation
Charity Trustee – Community Radio Station/Foodbank