THE Corporate team at Howes Percival finished 2017 having completed another excellent year of transactions. The team comprises Gerald Couldrake, Matthew Thompson and Miles Barnes and some of the highlights included significant transactions for HSBC, BGF, Blue Skies Holdings and Welcome Break.
2018 promises to be another busy year for the Corporate team at Howes Percival. With March 2019 and the shadow of Brexit looming ever closer, 2018 is the year for businesses and their owners to take action.
For some businesses, this could be the year to make that next acquisition, improving their cashflow position and diversifying their offering. By doing their deals now, those looking to make an acquisition will give themselves plenty of time to integrate the new business into their group before Brexit bites.
For others, 2018 will be the ideal time to sell. The next few years promise to be a turbulent and uncertain period for the economy, but for the moment, confidence in the Northamptonshire market remains high. Our local banks seem to be keen to lend to support budding acquirers, whilst private equity funds continue to look for new opportunities to invest in the area. With no guarantees as to how long that confidence will last, if you think you might want to sell, this is the year to do it.
For those not looking at a change of ownership, 2018 is the year they should look to take stock and prepare for what lies ahead – re-negotiating their contracts, tightening up their terms and conditions or simply getting a better understanding of where they could be vulnerable.
Whatever your next move, the Corporate team at Howes Percival have the skills and experience to guide you through it. If you would like to know more, please contact Gerald Couldrake at: or by calling 01604 258011.
IN June 2017, Howes Percival acquired the business of summers nigh law llp, the country’s smallest niche insolvency practice, based in Northampton, with a big reputation in the insolvency market.
As a result, Katie Summers and Deborah Nigh returned as prodigal partners to the firm where their legal careers began as trainee solicitors in the 1990’s. It’s fair to say that this acquisition has attracted five-star reviews from clients, the judiciary and competitors.
Not content with moving their entire team into Howes Percival’s new offices in Rushmills Katie and Deborah immediately set about acquiring further talented people to meet their ever increasing workload. Neena Jakhu joined the team in October 2017. Neena is a solicitor with both litigation and insolvency experience who previously worked for Geoffrey Lever solicitors and is well known in the Milton Keynes market.
The team, based in Northampton and Milton Keynes, provides a complete professional service to its Insolvency Practitioner and business/private clients and has extensive experience in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency. Our ability to handle complex insolvency work is recognised in the industry.
Our aim is to provide clear concise advice and commercial cost effective solutions to our clients in all insolvency situations. Alongside advice on formal insolvency proceedings, we advise businesses in financial difficulty, from sole traders through to large public limited companies, and directors on all their options and obligations including refinancing and restructuring.
Howes Percival have considerable expertise in advising creditors dealing with businesses in financial difficulty and act for HMRC and the Insolvency Service. We were recently appointed to Crown Commercial Services General Legal Services Panel for Central Government as a Tier 1 Provider.
The expansion of Howes Percival’s Northampton and Milton Keynes insolvency offering further strengthens the already extensive insolvency team at Howes Percival, headed up by Carl Mifflin, which operates from offices in Northampton, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Manchester, Cambridge and Norwich.
HOWES Percival’s Northampton commercial property team enjoyed a successful 2017 and expects 2018 to be no different.
As one of the region’s premier property offerings, the team has already seen a busy start to the year with its regional and national developer clients showing no signs of let-up, notwithstanding the uncertainties of a looming Brexit and the more recent demise of the major construction firm Carillion. Instructions for the sale and acquisition of development land along with subsequent estate set-ups remain high, particularly for residential development thanks to the Government’s increased target for more new homes in the coming years.
Instructions on lettings, acting for both landlords and tenants, are equally buoyant. We are seeing an increase in occupiers committing to long-term lettings and lease renewals, most likely due to an eagerness on the part of landlords to review their portfolios before the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations come into force in April this year (which will prevent new lettings of commercial properties if certain energy efficiency standards are not met). This strength in the letting market also shows a strong commitment from local businesses to the Northamptonshire area, with our property team at the forefront of this trend.
The team’s specialism in secured lending and property finance has also resulted in instructions on a number of high value property portfolios re-finances for several local clients in early 2018. We continue to maintain existing, and establish new, relationships with lenders in the region and our position as a panel firm for HSBC Bank plc, National Westminster Bank plc, Santander UK plc and Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), amongst others
In the residential market, our residential conveyancing team has established an efficient plot sales service for our developer clients and continues to act for individuals seeking a first rate residential conveyancing service.
