Lawyers in the Bristol and Reading offices of legal practice Osborne Clarke have advised top 50 UK accountancy practice Shaw Gibbs on its merger with Alliotts LLP, an independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisors, and its acquisition of Sestini & Co, a specialist in tax consultancy for expatriates and high net worth individuals.

By merging with Alliotts, Shaw Gibbs will bolster its presence in London and Guildford. Alliotts has 14 Partners and 100 people, and offers a full range of accountancy services. Alliotts’ specialist teams also advise on business strategy and corporate finance. The firm also has a strong media team and a China desk.

Shaw Gibbs will also strengthen its expatriate tax offering with the acquisition of Sestini & Co. Sestini & Co is based in London and Bristol, with a particular expertise in advising US citizens living in the UK.

The addition of both Alliotts and Sestini & Co to the Shaw Gibbs Group will result in a practice of around 500 people based in offices located across London and the South East. This exciting merger and acquisition combined will propel the firm within the market, with the expectation of reaching top 30 status in the next 12-18 months.

Peter O'Connell, Managing Director of Shaw Gibbs:

"It was reassuring to have the Osborne Clarke team working with us again on these two transactions. As the deals were running in parallel, we needed a team that could resource both transactions at the same time and were also familiar with our internal processes and structure. Once again, the team was very responsive, commercially pragmatic and always available. They also provided us with complex regulatory advice."

Rob Hayes, Partner at Osborne Clarke and head of the firm’s Reading office said:

"We were really pleased to have supported Shaw Gibbs again and work alongside Apiary Capital on another two strategically important transactions for the group, as Shaw Gibbs continues to gain market position in the sector. Being able to run the two transactions alongside each other was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the bench strength of our Shaw Gibbs client team. We were also able to show our regulatory expertise. We look forward to supporting the group on its future expansion."

The Osborne Clarke team advising on both transactions was led by Corporate Partner Rob Hayes in Reading and included Associate Directors Lesley Olsen (also Reading) and William Nicolson, Senior Associate Sian Daly and Associates Chris Flach and Matt Mayes. Both Sian and Chris are also based in Osborne Clarke’s Reading office.

Osborne Clarke specialist advice was provided by Legal Director Clare Burman (Financial Regulation), Senior Associate Jon Dodds (Banking), Bristol-based Partner Tracey Wright and Senior Associate Anna Reynolds (Tax) and Associate Director Natasha Burbidge, who is also based in the firm’s Bristol office, and Associate Leila Ghannam (Employment).

Osborne Clarke's Corporate team is a go-to practice for companies in the technology and professional services sectors. Its clients range from global businesses to fast-growth start-ups and market challengers. The team advises at every stage of company development across all corporate issues, from equity and debt fundraisings to M&A, IPOs and JVs.