Ian is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer specialising in corporate finance, advising on flotations (LSE and AIM), takeovers and fund raising of all types, including rights issues and placings, mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, joint ventures, shareholders’ agreements and resolution of shareholder disputes. He also advises on management buy-ins and buy-outs, venture capital and all aspects of equity and debt investments in public and private companies. Ian also has expertise in investments into various types of funds, limited partnerships and other collective investment schemes.
In addition to the corporate aspects of law, Ian regularly advises on contracts including agency, distribution, intellectual property licensing, e-commerce, and employee share schemes. His other areas of expertise include the medical, hi-tech, software media and professional services sectors.
Ian was wonderful to work with: flexible, responsive, creative, collaborative and brilliant ... all with a good sense of humour! I highly recommend him.
Elise Howes, FI
SPBSIan provides sound technical legal counsel and excellent service without losing sight of practical commercial considerations. He is exceptionally trustworthy, reliable and of the highest integrity.
Donald Cepican
Patina SolutionsIan has been our legal advisor for 16 years. He has helped us negotiate with many much larger firms and we have never had a dispute. He has often pulled out the stops when we were under time pressure and has always been both completely straight and commercially aware.
David Cutts, MD
Strategy & Technology LtdIan is not only an astute and knowledgeable legal advisor, but also a very reliable and supportive member of the team, often highlighting angles of the case or issue in hand which the rest of us missed. He has an intuitive ability to deal with counter parties in a productive and proactive manner and is always ready to go the extra mile.
Frank Jackson FCIS, MBA
Aurelian Oil & Gas PLCIan took on and tackled what was a most complicated transaction with the right blend of expertise, experience and practicality. His contribution was in no small part essential to the success of the deal; a true trusted advisor through and through.
Bob Rothenberg, Senior Partner
Blick Rothenberg
Expertise
- Company flotations (LSE & AIM)
- M&As
- Joint ventures
- Business sales including LLPs
- Formations and investments into funds
- Fundraising
- Management organisation and restructuring
- Commercial Agent Regulations
- IP licensing
- E-commerce
- Employee share schemes
Experience
- Completed sale of professional services business to venture capital-backed vehicle
- Completed spin-out of high-tech university research company, acting for the management team
- Advised start-up company with waste processing technology on licensing, fundraising and other matters
- Advised shipping broker on overseas joint venture, putting in place all required documentation, including shareholders’ agreement
- Completed the sale of an IFA business to a private company buyer for cash and shares
- Completed the sale of a marketing consultancy to a trade buyer for cash
- Advised a long-term client in specialist software business (digital interactive TV) on the exit from a joint venture, drafting all required documents
- Acted on a pre-IPO financing for a natural resources company to raise circa £10million
- Acted for an oil and gas exploration company in a placing on AIM
- Acted in a €40million farm-in to a subsidiary of an AIM listed oil and gas explorer
- Acted on the admission to AIM of an oil and gas exploration company
- Acted for a number of years for a listed (Main Market) motor retailer, acting on its admission to AIM and subsequently on a Rule 9 offer
- Set up an online marketing magazine, drafting all necessary agreements and subsequently acted for the shareholders on its sale to a media group
- Acted on the establishment of an online banking magazine and its subsequent sale
- Acted for the vendors of a retail marketing consultancy on its sale to an advertising agency
- Advised a US advertising agency on the MBO of its London branch
- Acted on the sale of an industrial psychologist consultancy to a personnel agency
- Acting for a supplier of back office services in preparing standard terms and conditions and also advising on bespoke agreements with major industrial customers
- Acted for Strategy & Technology Ltd for nearly 20 years – negotiating many agreements on their behalf with industrial licensees of the technology, broadcasters and others
- Advised the management on the establishment of a medical device incubator company, taking options and entering into development agreements with medical device inventors, again carrying out a number of transactions
- Acted for the shareholders on the sale of the value added software reseller to a newly established vehicle (essentially a buy in/management buy out)
- Advising the MSI software supplier subsidiary of a printer and negotiating distribution agreements for them with overseas distributors
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Ian qualified as a solicitor in 1972. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2017, he worked at the following firms:
- Maxwell Winward
- Ashurst
- Herbert Smith