COVER STORY - ARTHUR COX
Arthur Cox : delivering excellence on every deal
Nuanced and pragmatic legal advice is what Northern Ireland ’ s most successful companies need – and it ’ s what Arthur Cox is synonymous with . Lynsey Mallon , Corporate and Commercial Partner at the leading Belfast law firm , explains why clients can always expect excellence from Arthur Cox .
t ’ s been a busy year for corporate and commercial activity in Northern Ireland .
IThe latest figures show a rise in Mergers and Acquisitions activity between 2015 and 2016 , with a host of major deals reported .
Arthur Cox ’ s Corporate and Commercial team is at the heart of the most prominent deals taking place in the local marketplace , advising major local and multinational corporates and SMEs across a range of sectors .
Headed up by Chairman Alan Taylor , the firm ’ s Corporate and Commercial practice is recognised as one of the foremost of its kind in Northern Ireland . A senior member of the practice is Lynsey Mallon .
“ Innovative , nuanced and pragmatic advice is often what Northern Ireland ’ s most successful companies need – and it ’ s what Arthur Cox is synonymous with ,” Lynsey said .
“ We ’ re one of the largest and most respected advisory teams in Northern Ireland , with our scale and expertise unsurpassed in the local market .
“ From multinationals such as CocaCola HBC , major corporate heavyweights such as Moy Park , dynamic young startups such as SkunkWorks Surf Co . and government departments , Arthur Cox is the ‘ goto ’ firm for trusted legal advice which will ensure the successful completion of any kind of transaction .”
LARGEST DEALS One of the largest deals of 2016 was the sale of Northern Ireland meat giant Dunbia ’ s pork business to Cranswick plc , which was completed in November .
Arthur Cox acted for the Dunbia Group in the deal that saw Cranswick plc buy Dunbia ’ s Ballymena division , which employs around 360 staff and processes almost 8,000 animals a week .
As Lynsey explained , this is just one of a number of examples of how Arthur Cox ’ s Corporate and Commercial team is at the forefront of the local market , with a record that speaks for itself .
“ Looking at the Dunbia sale of its pork business , Arthur Cox has worked closely with the Group for many years . The sale will bring significant productivity gains to both seller and buyer , while the Ulster Farmers ’ Union has welcomed the deal as a very positive development , given the importance of farming and agrifood to the local economy .” Talking about the broader base of major deals in 2016 , Lynsey said : “ We also advised the Clarins Group on its acquisition of the entire issue shared capital of Nevinar Cosmetics , coordinating the deal on behalf of
the Clarins Group ’ s inhouse legal team in Paris and liaising closely with Clarins ’ staff and advisers in France , England and Ireland .
“ Arthur Cox continues to be the lead adviser for the Musgrave Group in Northern Ireland , acting on 12 significant new strategic acquisitions for the Group in the last year , and also acted for Arcapita on all corporate aspects of its disposal of the Viridian Group to ISquared Capital .
“ And , following the firm ’ s appointment as exclusive legal adviser to Norbrook Laboratories in 2015 , we have continued to advise the company on a number of reorganisations and restructurings within the Group .”
INVESTMENT The Dunbia deal took place in a year that also saw Arthur Cox advising the Department of Agriculture , Environment and Rural Affairs ( DAERA ) on the procurement and award of an £ 8.7m contract to AMTSYBEX for a new and improved food , animal health and traceability system .
Lynsey explained : “ The DAERA contract was a hugely significant public sector IT contract , involving a tightly run , competitive dialogue process . Arthur Cox advised on all aspects of the procurement from the outset , supporting the Department of Finance and DAERA through competitive dialogue with multiple bidders , to contract award and signature .
“ Our appointment by DAERA following a competitive tender process highlighted our depth of experience and expertise in this area . This contract was one of the first to use the Government Legal Service ’ s updated version of the Model Services Contract , and we tailored it to ensure it met the key needs of DAERA and worked as a matter of Northern Ireland law .”
Just a few months earlier , Lynsey led the Arthur Cox team which provided legal guidance to SkunkWorks Surf Co ., Northern Ireland ’ s first surfboard manufacturing business , in the securing of a £ 500,000 investment boost .
Lynsey continued : “ Founded in 2014 , SkunkWorks Surf Co . is undoubtedly one of the most upwardlymobile young companies in Northern Ireland , with the major funding round being used to help the firm grow its manufacturing capacity and break into the US market .
“ The investment was a joint deal involving local private investors and CoFund NI , a fund created by Invest Northern Ireland and managed by Clarendon Fund Managers to help businesses with growth potential access equity finance .”
The corporate and commercial legal
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