Case Studies

Transaction: Bates Wells has acted for Beaumont Cornish on the readmission of Minds + Machines (formerly Top Level Domain Holdings) to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange plc. Mine + Machines is a £137m market cap company with offices in Dublin, London, Munich, and Santa Monica. Mines + Machines offers not only registrar services for new top-level domains including .london but also offers other related services from registry ownership and operations to consumer sales. It also has an interest in over two dozen uncontested gTLD applications.

Transaction: Bates Wells acted for the partners of Butcher Burns LLP on the transfer of their 14 fee earner practice to Teacher Stern LLP. BWB advised on the formal documentation for the merger of the business and advised the Butcher Burns partners on their new arrangements.

Transaction: Bates Wells acted for the retiring partners of Parlett Kent in relation to the closure of their practice and simultaneous arrangements for Leigh Day & Co to become their successor practice. Bates Wells negotiated the legal documentation and liaised with the SRA regarding successor practice matters.

Transaction: The admission to AIM of Centurion Resources Plc and a placing and subscription to raise £1 million. Centurion is focussed on the exploration and development of copper assets in Austria. Bates Wells acted for Beaumont Cornish Limited in its capacity as Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker and for Merchant Securities Limited in its capacity as Joint Broker.

Transaction: The reverse takeover of Northcote Energy by Everest Energy Limited for $10m. On completion Everest Energy Limited (renamed Northcote Energy Limited) was admitted to AIM and completed a Placing to raise £1m. Northcote is a US-focused on-shore oil exploration and production company.

Transaction: Bates Wells acted for P2i Limited on a series of three private equity fundraisings, including a £12 million private equity fundraising from OMBU Group and NAXOS Capital Partners, two of the five existing private equity investors. This was followed by two rounds of subsequent financing from both existing and new investors to support the continued rapid growth of P2i Limited. Bates Wells advised P2i and its management on the funding and the reconciliation of competing shareholder interests.

Transaction: Bates Wells acted for Eleco plc on the sale of its building products manufacturing businesses to Omnis Industries Limited. This deal was completed in a two week window due to the need to close the transaction before the month end.

Transaction: Bates Wells acted for LOTCE Holding Limited on the acquisition of PLUS Derivatives Exchange Limited from AIM-quoted Polemos Plc, formerly Plus Market Group plc. BWB advised on the acquisition and the financial services regulatory issues.

Transaction: Bates Wells advised a member of the Rank Group on the disposal of its Blue Square Bet online sports bookmaker business to the Betfair Group for £5 million.