Mark is a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 30 years’ experience. Throughout his career Mark has acted for a wide range of clients with a focus more recently on advising owner-managed businesses, high-net-worth individuals and entrepreneurs as well as providers of venture capital and private equity. He has considerable experience of cross-border transactions and regularly advises clients on doing business in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
Mark advises on corporate and commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint venture and collaboration agreements, corporate reorganisations and restructurings, corporate governance and a range of commercial agreements, as well as general corporate law issues.
Mark is qualified in England and Wales as a solicitor, and in New Zealand as a barrister and solicitor.
Expertise
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Joint ventures
- Corporate reorganisations
- Commercial contracts
- Corporate governance and Companies Act issues
Experience
- Advised Sea Containers Ltd on the £142m sale of The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to Montagu Private Equity, on the Euro 478m sale of its Baltic ferry subsidiary Silja Line to Tallink, the Estonian ferry operator, and on various other disposals following Sea Containers filing for Chapter 11 protection
- Advised Kennametal, a leading US listed supplier of tooling and industrial materials on the UK, French and German aspects of the acquisition of the tungsten materials business of Allegheny Technologies for $605m and on the subsequent sale, following a pre-sale reorganisation, of certain UK companies and businesses to ATA Group of Ireland.
- Advised Sovcomflot, the Russian shipping company, on its lead sponsorship of the Black Sea Tall Ships Regatta in 2014 and on various joint ventures and other corporate matters.
- Advised Marathon Asset Management on its acquisition from Goldman funds of a portfolio of former QMH hotels for approximately £140m and subsequently on its hotel management joint venture with Valor Hospitality (US).
- Advised Oracle Racing/Oracle Team USA, America’s Cup Event Authority and America’s Cup Race Management in connection with the 34th America’s Cup on general corporate and structuring issues and coordinated provision in the US of real estate, construction and regulatory advice.
- Advised on the sale of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club for Sir Jack Hayward, securing the cash injection the club needed for its subsequent competitive success.
- Advised members of the family behind one of the UK’s leading information services companies on family shareholding structure.
- Advised a member of a wealthy family during highly publicised litigation brought by a relative, including coordinating the different legal professionals working on the case, which was won by the client.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Mark qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1993, and as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand in 1981. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2020, he worked at the following firms:
- Hierons
- Reed Smith
- Clifford Chance