Vertex Law LLP News (full text)

Team expands at Vertex Law

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Vertex Law’s growing Dispute Resolution team is set to be strengthened further with the addition of two members of staff.

Louise Worton, 26, who joined Kings Hill based Vertex as a trainee solicitor in October 2008, will join the Dispute Resolution team full time when she qualifies in October. After obtaining her degree in law and business from Warwick University, Louise completed her Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law in Guildford with distinction.

She said: “I began my training at Vertex in Real Estate before moving into Mergers & Acquisitions. However, I have really enjoyed the variety of work with the Dispute Resolution team so am pleased to be able to stay with such a talented team full time.”

Rebecca Tinham joined Vertex to lead its Dispute Resolution team three years ago and since that time it has gone from strength-to-strength with income increasing 50 per cent year-on-year.

Now the team is set to grow even further with the addition of trainee solicitor Sam Pout, 23, who gained his degree at Oxford Brookes and joined Vertex in 2009. Having spent six months in the Commercial team and six months in the Real Estate team he will now move into the Dispute Resolution team for six months from October.

Rebecca commented: “Over the last three years we have recruited a well qualified, capable team. It’s important to get the right people for the job. Louise has made an invaluable contribution to the team and I am sure that she will continue to do so in the future. The addition of Louise and Sam makes us a team of five lawyers with varying levels of experience and a variety of skills.

“Dispute resolution can be stressful for all concerned but our aim is always to help clients get the best result as quickly as possible in the most cost-effective way. We handle a wide range of claims, some of which are worth tens of thousands of pounds and some of which are worth several million pounds. Our recruitment strategy was to engage talented lawyers across a range of experience levels so that the composition of the team allows us to match each case to the most appropriate lawyer at proportionate cost”.

Dispute Resolution is just part of the complete service Vertex Law offers to clients which includes banking and finance, commercial, mergers and acquisitions, private and public equity, real estate and technology and media.

For further information contact Vertex Law on 01732 224000.

Vertex in the Park 2

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The summer is here and Vertex and their staff are making the most of it!

After last months success the return of 'Vertex in the Park' took place on Thursday afternoon, this time we were joined by Smith Gore for an afternoon of sun, fun and a few cheeky beers.

Keeping the team spirit up Smith Gore and Vertex Law mixed their teams, one headed up by Richard Blackman Real Estate Member at Vertex Law and Mike Wooldridge Partner at Smith Gore. A bit of healthy competition led the final score to be team Blackman 3 and team Wooldridge 5.

Look out for Vertex in the Park part 3

Land deal clears way for Sittingbourne re-development

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A key stage in the regeneration of Sittingbourne has been reached with the sale of the former M-real paper mill site.

The town centre site, which covers more than 14 acres, is set to be redeveloped as part of the Swale redevelopment plan having stood empty since M-real ceased its papermaking operations in Sittingbourne in early 2007.

Now, London property company, Essential Land LLP, has bought the brownfield site from M-real UK Services Limited in a deal brokered by property agents Strutt & Parker and legal experts Vertex Law.

“The successful redevelopment of Sittingbourne Mill is crucial for the regeneration of Sittingbourne and its infrastructure,” said Vertex Law’s Jeremy Licence. “It covers a large area of ground and sits in a very strategic location.

“As with many of the brownfield sites that we handle, Sittingbourne Mill has a long and complicated history so there was a lot of information to amass before the deal could go through. There were also a number of linked transactions that had to be managed in parallel with the sale of the main site.

“Now that the deal is done, though, I hope that the new owners will be able to proceed quickly with a planning application to Swale Borough Council.”

The sale includes the three kilometre service corridor that originally linked the mill with Ridham Dock. The operations of the Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway, which uses part of the route, are not affected by the change of ownership.

David Scudder, on behalf of M-real, added: “We worked with Vertex Law over a long period of time to prepare for and negotiate the eventual sale of the site. They were always a step ahead in terms of what needed to be done and their clear and pragmatic advice helped us to steer through some difficult issues and ensure a successful sale.”

Vertex Law Joins top table at National Food Awards

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Vertex Law has been signed up as a sponsor of one of the country’s leading food awards.

The Kings Hill corporate and commercial lawyers have joined other food sector specialists in backing the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2010.

The awards, now in their 10th year, are dedicated to recognising and rewarding the very best food and drink manufacturing companies.

Sarah Whibley, Head of the Food Team at Vertex Law, which is sponsoring the Small Company of the Year Category, said: “We are delighted to have been approached to become a sponsor of the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards and are pleased to be taking part.

“There is an increasing emphasis on good practice, management and process in the food manufacturing sector, and as a company that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our clients, these are disciplines that we very much value.

“Kent has a strong food and drink sector and I would really encourage local companies to enter the awards and fly the flag both for themselves and the county.”

Entry to the awards is free and the closing date is 30 July. The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at The Savoy, London on 2 November. For further information, visit www.foodmanawards.co.uk

Brakes Group Acquires Browns Food Service

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Vertex Law has advised the Brakes Group in its recent acquisition of specialist catering butcher Browns Food Service.

Browns Food Service is a highly respected specialist catering butcher with a loyal customer base, respected brand, wide product range and a strong industry reputation.

Browns will remain a specialist business within the Brakes Group, retaining its individual identity, customers and product range. It will continue to be managed by its current team under the leadership of Andrew Dalton, Managing Director.

Browns will complement the specialist businesses within the Brakes Group, including Prime Meats, which it is envisaged Browns Food Service will sit alongside. The acquisition will increase the customer base for the Brakes Group and strengthen the specialist meat offer to all customers.

Ian Goldsmith, Brakes Group Chief Operating Officer, commented: “I am delighted that, through the acquisition of Browns Food Service, we are able to significantly strengthen our meat and butchery offer to customers.”

Sarah Whibley of Vertex Law said: “We were very pleased to be supporting the Brakes acquisition team again throughout this important acquisition. The pragmatism shown by all parties involved really assisted in pushing this one across the line.”

Adrian Whitehead, Brakes Group Legal Director, said: “We were pleased to be working with Vertex Law again and are grateful to them for dealing with the various issues smoothly and efficiently, as well as providing us with practical legal advice throughout the process in a very clear and client focused manner.”

Countrystyle purchases TJ Composting

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Countrystyle, the Kent-based waste management and recycling company operating in the South East and East Anglia, has completed the purchase of TJ Composting, a South East based organics recycling business.

The acquisition will see Countrystyle, which has a head office in Lenham, near Maidstone, and a composting plant at Sittingbourne, take over four operational sites at Swanley and in Hampshire, Sussex and Essex. Countrystyle was represented in the transaction of the final purchase by Kings Hill based solicitors Vertex Law.

The acquisition expands Countrystyle’s composting operations to a more national basis and increases capacity to produce over 150,000 tonnes of soil conditioning compost a year. The open windrow system operating at the four sites will see organic material being matured outdoors for a minimum of 12 weeks, with material being rotated using open windrow turn methods used to speed up the composting process.

In addition, the Swanley depot is hoping to receive planning permission to build a 46,000 tonne-a-year anaerobic digestion facility, which will provide environmentally friendly treatment of food and green waste and a source of renewable energy.

Most of the green and food waste that currently supplies the facilities comes from local authority civic amenity sites and trade material from landscapers, where it is then processed into nutrient rich compost. Once produced, the compost is supplied to many different genres of grounds maintenance contractors including gardeners, farmers, landscapers and horticulturists, as well as working in partnership local authorities.

“We are delighted with the acquisition and see this as an important strategic step in Countrystyle Group’s ongoing development plan, which has seen the company grow steadily across the South East,” said Mat Stewart, Managing Director at Countrystyle Group.

Stuart Butler-Gallie of Vertex Law said, “We were happy to support Countrystyle Group with this important acquisition. It was an entirely amicable agreement with obvious benefits for both parties.”

Swedish arrival puts Kent IT on the map

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Kent’s IT expertise has gone international following the purchase of one of the county’s leading high tech businesses by a Swedish firm.

Ashford-based Commidea, which specialises in credit card processing systems and services, was bought for an undisclosed sum by Point International, a Stockholm company with similar expertise and offices across the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Founded in 1992, Commidea employs 140 people and has its headquarters at Eureka Park. It used Kent lawyers Vertex Law and the Crawley office of finance experts Grant Thornton to advise on the deal.

“This was a complex transaction from a legal point of view,” said Vertex Law’s Trevor Carney. “It involved the jurisdiction of several countries as well as intellectual property issues and all the transactional legal work normally associated with this type of purchase. “The deal sees Commidea become a fully-owned subsidiary of Point International while continuing to operate under its own brand. Vertex Law has had a long-term relationship with Commidea’s management team, offering ongoing advice on a range of issues as they have successfully built the business into the UK’s leading developer and provider of credit card processing systems and services. The company has developed a range of high performance card payment systems for virtually every working environment including high street retail, e-commerce, mail order, telesales, leisure and hospitality. With this track record and expertise, Commidea was clearly an attractive proposition for Point.”

Simon Wilding, Commidea’s Managing Director, said, “It is the ideal time to join forces with Point. Like Commidea, Point has a strong track record in innovation. The merger of the two organisations enables us to continue the development and delivery of market leading solutions such as advanced security and contactless payment technology.

“The advice we received from Vertex Law and Grant Thornton – and the professionalism and commitment they showed – was absolutely invaluable in ensuring the successful completion of this deal.”

Rupert Rawcliffe, who led the Grant Thornton team, said, “This was a complicated international process, requiring the project management of many different work streams and personnel, together with Point International and their private equity backers, Nordic Capital. With a deep understanding of the company, we were able to respond proactively at all times and provide timely, pragmatic corporate finance and tax advice throughout the process. The partnership of Simon Wilding and his management team, Vertex Law and Grant Thornton worked incredibly well as all involved were absolutely committed to ensuring the company found the right partner, on the best terms. We are delighted that Simon and his team have now been able to join the Point Group, where they should have a very exciting future and fantastic prospects.”

Commercial property lawyer vacancy

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Please see our Jobs page for further information.

When the going gets tough, the tough get chocolate!

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In December 2009, after completing one of the largest deals Vertex Law has ever been involved in, the client treated the transaction team to an evening of chocolate making at Temper Temper, a chocolate making factory in Southborough, Tunbridge Wells. Janine Filmer, a secretary in the corporate department said, "It was yum!"

Serving up an awards treat for food and drink businesses

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Vertex Law, one of Kent’s leading legal businesses, found a recipe for success with its support of the Kent Restaurant Awards 2009.

The awards, intended to raise the profile of dining venues in the county, boost local food and drink producers and help establish Kent as a leading destination for gourmet travellers, were presented to the delighted winners at the Ashford International Hotel in January.

More than 6500 members of the public nominated and voted for more than 300 establishments across the county. A panel of expert judges visited a shortlist of more than seventy venues, assessing the quality of the cooking, service and ambience, awarding additional marks for the use of local produce of sound provenance using sustainable farming practices.

“As leaders in legal services for the food and drink industry, we were delighted to be overall sponsor of the Kent Restaurant Awards in its first year,” said Sarah Whibley, who heads up the Food & Drink team at the Kings Hill-based firm. “Kent is blessed with a huge variety of first class food and drink businesses and it is hugely important, particularly in these times, to support and celebrate those businesses. There is fantastic quality and service to be had by sourcing locally, which we know is important to all finalists, but also to us, as a local business ourselves”.

Vertex Law specialises in providing proactive corporate and commercial legal services and advises many diverse enterprises within the food and drink sector in Kent.

“Our congratulations to all the finalists and winners, in particular to Thackerays, who won the category sponsored by Vertex, the Gourmet Restaurant of the Year!”. To find out more contact Sarah Whibley or call 01732 224058.