Stephen Blair

Areas of Expertise

Stephen’s specific areas of expertise include private equity, restructuring, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, management buyouts, joint ventures, business start-ups and company formations.

Experience

Private equity, turnaround and private investment

• advising a private equity business in connection with arrangements with co-investors utilising a limited partnership as the preferred investment vehicle and advising on the terms of amendment to the limited partnership and associated documentation on subsequent further investment rounds
• advising on the restructuring of a fast-food company including a funding round from existing investors, debt capitalisation and revision of the company’s articles of association, a review of the company’s existing investment arrangements and drafting a suite of new investment documentation
• acting for a private investment boutique on the sale by one its portfolio companies of a wholly owned food distribution company
• representing a nationwide chain of diners in relation to an investment by a second private equity firm
• acting for a private investment boutique in the acquisition of an IT business providing a complete integrated suite of ICT products and services, identified for the purposes of a business turnaround opportunity. Since acquisition, Stephen has advised the company in connection with its corporate structure and corporate financing arrangements
• advising on an acquisition from an administrator of a hotel business, the restructuring of that business and the raising of further external corporate finance;
• as part of the strategy for the development of a turnaround business, advising on a phantom share option scheme to provide incentives to the business’s management board
• representing a team of private investors in respect of an investment in a data centre company
• advising the target in connection with the terms of an investment by a venture capital company
• acting for a turnaround based Fund in connection with the purchase of a retail design business
• representing numerous portfolio companies of a private equity firm on the terms of various incentive packages to senior executives
• advising a team of private investors in relation to the start-up of a marketing company
• acting on the terms of an investment within and provision of financing to a high value property development business

Mergers and acquisitions

• advising on the formation of a joint venture start-up company to hold premises and operate a café and children’s soft-play facility
• acting for a private equity portfolio company in relation to an acquisition of consultancy partnership business
• representing a fruit drinks business from formation, through its development until its sale
• advising an office equipment company from shortly after its formation, throughout its development and expansion, until acting for its shareholders on a sale
• acting for a telecoms hardware, maintenance and telephone service supply group from formation to sale
• advising a video to mobile business on formation, acting through the company’s development including corporate acquisitions, before acting for the majority shareholders upon the group’s sale to a NASDAQ quoted company
• advising the purchaser on the acquisition of a hotel business and advising on the structure of the acquiring vehicle
• acting on the acquisition and refinancing of an office equipment company, the restructuring of the acquiring company and its acquisition of related businesses to form a group dealing with the sale supply, maintenance and financing of office equipment
• advising on various other share transactions including the sale and purchase of an architects business, printing business, funeral directors and internet based software development company

Reorganisations and corporate finance

• advising an FSA registered advisor in relation to the provision of discretionary advisory advice to an offshore investment Fund.
• advising a nationwide restaurant business on the restructuring of its share premium reserve
• advising a nationwide business on the terms of a company buy-back of shares from a former executive shareholder
• advising on the restructuring of an office equipment company
• advising a company specialising in PC technology on the terms of the reorganisation of its leverage and security arrangements
• acting for a solicitors practice on their incorporation as a limited liability partnership, and then subsequently advising in relation to the use of a partner’s pension fund as part finance for the acquisition of alternative premises and advising on the structure to facilitate the use of pension fund assets

General commercial

• advising on various sponsorship arrangements in the IT and sporting arenas
• advising on the terms of various franchise agreements including those relating to photocopier franchise, a telecoms service franchise and a business consultancy franchise
• advising on limited liability partnership agreements; including agreements in respect of limited liability partnerships in the property development, general trading and solicitors practice fields
• advising on an agreement in connection with the establishing of a national telecoms infrastructure for data communication