Ed Foulkes

Ed is a ‘pragmatic and practical’ corporate lawyer dealing primarily with mergers and acquisitions. He has specialisms in the financial services, fintech and technology sectors.

Ed is a partner in the Corporate department. Described as ‘Reliable, accurate, efficient and prompt… a pleasure to work with’ by a current client, Ed’s specialisms include mergers & acquisitions, equity investments, buy-outs, joint ventures and corporate structuring.

He has a number of clients in the financial services, renewable energy and healthcare sectors, and he also acts on mergers and acquisitions of advisory and professional practices.

Clients in the technology sector make up an increasing proportion of Ed’s client base in particular those involved in the fintech space.

Ed has a particular specialism in financial services and regularly advises on the financial promotion regime, on consumer credit legislation and on transactions subject to Financial Conduct Authority regulation.

Ed joined Clarke Willmott in July 2012 from corporate boutique Lockett Loveday McMahon.

“Brilliant service and very professional.” – Jane Nuttall, Client, 2022

How Ed can help you

Ed regularly advises clients on all aspects of their corporate and commercial needs, but has specific expertise in:

• Transaction documentation, including share purchase agreements, asset sale agreements and disclosure processes;
• Transaction structuring, such as heads of terms, letters of intent and memorandums of understanding for a variety of different structures including share and business acquisitions, MBOs and others;
• Company incorporations;
• Corporate constitutions, including articles of association, shareholders’ agreements, limited liability partnership agreements and partnership agreements;
• Debt fund-raisings, including facility agreements, corporate security and personal guarantees;
• Venture capital and private equity fund-raisings, including investment agreements and loan note instruments;
• Value returns, including share buybacks and reductions of share capital;
• Due diligence investigations and reports;
• Contingent consideration structures, including addressing tax aspects;
• Continuing regulatory matters, including directors’ duties;
• The financial promotion rules;
• Consumer credit advice.

Experience

• Acting for the shareholders of a major insurance broker on the £11m disposal of the business to a sector consolidator.
• Dealing with the investment by a global supplier of domestic heating equipment into a disruptive market entrant.
• Advising on the buy-out of an aluminium extrusion group.
• Acquisition of a leading brand in automotive retail.
• Advising on the sale of a high-end forensic accountancy practice to a private equity backed group.
• Acting for the sellers of a supplier of forensic IT services.
• Acting on a joint venture between a clinicians’ corporate vehicle and a commercial healthcare provider to the NHS, and on the subsequent exit.
• Advising a specialist renewable energy fund on several acquisitions of operating renewable energy assets (onshore wind turbines and solar installations).
• Acting for management on the £9.5 million management buy-out of an event management and marketing group.
• Acting for a North West engineering group on a series of acquisitions.
• Advising on initial and further investment rounds for an IT and data provider to the insurance and automotive manufacturing industries.
• Acting on the acquisitions and disposals of numerous wealth management and financial advisory firms.