Wilson Partners Corporate Finance provided sell-side M&A and tax advice to the partners of IBB Law for their sale to Knights plc.

About the parties

Knights has strengthened its presence in the South East through its acquisition of IBB Law LLP for an initial £21 million. An additional £9m is to be paid in three annual instalments, subject to conditions.

IBB Law LLP is an established legal firm with 140 team members operating across the Thames Valley with offices in Ascot, Beaconsfield, Uxbridge and Reading. The award-winning firm offers both businesses and individuals commercial, real estate, private client and criminal legal services and boasts other specialist teams, including in franchising.

Joanna DeBiase, Managing Partner of IBB commented: “We are excited about joining Knights at a time of structural change in our industry, where being part of a business of scale with a premium, national reputation is ever more important for all of our stakeholders – allowing us to provide broader services to our clients, strong career opportunities for our people, and to capitalise on our momentum, with the benefit of strong central support.”

“We look forward to working closely with the team to unlock the significant market opportunities in the South East as part of the larger group.”

For Knights, who are the UK’s largest regional legal services business with more than 1,100 professionals, the acquisition increases their national presence.

David Beech, CEO of Knights, said: “We are delighted to welcome the high quality IBB team to Knights, significantly increasing our scale in the South East.”

“Their premium corporate, real estate and private wealth services, culture and operational model are an excellent fit, and we are confident that the acquisition will provide a strong platform for organic growth in the region.”

Head of Wilson Partners Corporate Finance, Dan James commented: “We were delighted to support all of the IBB partners on their sale to Knights. They have built an enviable business and it was no surprise that Knights wanted IBB to be a platform in the Thames Valley. It was a great outcome for all involved, a fantastic local deal with local advisers, and the opportunity now to embark on an exciting future journey.”

We were very lucky to have Adam, Dan and the team at Wilson Partners support us during this process. Throughout, their advice was prompt, clear and incisive – the complexities of the Locked Box process were explained clearly and effectively to all Partners and the Wilson Partners team were readily available to discuss any financial aspects of the transaction at any time. They also worked seamlessly with Rob Wood and his team at Osborne Clarke and, acting on the opposite side of the transaction for a change, I would not hesitate to recommend them to any professional services provider going through a similar process.
Adam Dowdney, Partner, IBB Law

Services provided:

Sell-side M&A | Tax advice

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