The corporate and banking teams at Colmore Business District based law firm Shakespeare Martineau have supported a record-breaking £6.6 billion-worth of deals during 2024, including more than £889 million in the Midlands alone.
Experts in mergers and acquisitions, fast-growth businesses, investment funds and finance, Shakespeare Martineau’s corporate team has expanded to meet client demand over the past year, including several partner hires and the appointment of a six-strong healthcare specialist team in Birmingham.
Sector deal highlights include technology and healthcare, as well approximately £1 billion-worth of deals in the energy sector alone. The firm’s single largest deal came in at £2.9 billion for an undisclosed fund manager.
Notable transactions in the Midlands include the development of an £8 million angel investment fund for the local enterprise partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (D2N2 LEP); a management buyout for Wade Building Services; and the integration of Bromsgrove-based Trebor Developments into Texas company Hillwood Investment Properties.
Michael Stace, partner and head of corporate, said: “Despite deal volumes declining globally, our team has seen growth in transaction numbers and size driven in part by the investments we have made in the team over the past 12-18 months.
“The mid-market was reasonably buoyant in 2024 with certain sectors – such as technology, healthcare, energy and business services – being particularly active. Naturally, the autumn budget sped up a number of transactions in the second half of the year, while others held-off, showing caution in their approach.
“In 2025, I’m expecting to see continued consolidation in the healthcare sector, more deals in technology and AI in particular, and increasing activity in the green energy space. While the market isn’t brimming with confidence, our deal pipeline is stronger than it was in January 2024 and we’ve continued to invest in our team so I’m feeling optimistic about the new year.”
