Practice group articles

Take action now to mitigate the 50% tax burden
25 January 2010

Making sure you have the right ingredients for a success story
2 November 2009

When a marriage breakdown splits a family business
3 September 2009

Client article | Administration - is this the only option for a distressed business?
19 May 2009

Budget 2009 summary for corporate clients
22 April 2009

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFG)
19 February 2009

Commercial services: Putting passion at the heart of the legal profession

01 June 2008



You may not expect to find portraits of award-winning sports stars adorning the walls of a legal practice, but for David Stanning, corporate and commercial partner at B P Collins, the achievements of England rugby world cup hero Martin Johnson and cricketer Shane Warne encapsulate his approach to successful business.

"It's all about passion," he says. "Johnson and Warne stand out because of the passion they have brought to their sports and it's something that is very important to us as a firm.

"We employ people who are passionate about their roles, who are progressive and dynamic and who know the issues that matter to their clients. It's about building long-term relationships and helping organisations throughout their lifecycle."

B P Collins was one of the first legal practices in the Thames Valley to recognise the benefits of having a specialist corporate and commercial team. Today, some 30 years later, Stanning leads an eight-strong group, well supported by substantial teams of property, employment and litigation/dispute resolution lawyers within the firm, who have more than a century's experience between them — a score Warne himself would be proud of.

Although its principal office in Gerrards Cross means the practice is little more than 30 minutes from London, Stanning believes its attitude sets it apart from larger London practices, where the pressure to move on to other deals can reduce their ability to provide the service levels that B P Collins is so passionate about.

"We are about delivering excellent client service and adding value to the businesses we work with," he said. "Many of our clients have been with us in long-term relationships and we've been able to help them as their businesses have grown.

"For us, it isn't about asking how much money you can make from a client, it's about putting service first and helping clients to appreciate the benefits we've been able to deliver. Then the financial rewards will follow."

The firm takes a genuine interest in building long-term relationships and the "chemistry" built up with clients is of particular importance. "Quality should be a given at the level at which we operate," he explained, "and that's why the personal touch is such an essential part of the equation."

That includes taking time out to going to see people, as opposed to always communicating by email which, although convenient, isn't a substitute for meeting clients face-to-face.

Embracing that philosophy still further, over the next few months the corporate and commercial team is stepping up its one-to-one meetings with clients to learn about their plans and aspirations in order to be in a better position to help.

"Meeting people gives you a much better chance of gaining a real feel for their business, their culture and their personality, and that can't easily be achieved sitting behind a computer," added Stanning.

"We see part of our role as trusted business advisers who can help add value through our experience and we hope our clients will see this as a worthwhile and rewarding exercise."

B P Collins' key aim is to support growing owner-managed businesses, mostly (but not exclusively) within the £5m - £50m turnover bracket, and to help them anticipate and manage the challenges they are likely to encounter.

Besides the team's mainstream work in connection with acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses, this can mean anything from advising on external contractual relationships to guidance on internally-focused issues such as succession planning and restructuring, incentive plans and shareholder agreements and disputes.

Working alongside Stanning are fellow partners Tim Walton, Simon Deans, Alex Zachary and David Smellie, together with senior associates Diane Gill and Victoria Holland, and newly-qualified associate Sophie Kernthaler. And there are plans to extend the team still further.

There is a strong emphasis on teamwork and mentoring, with dedicated business training and coaching sessions designed to ensure the team's development as lawyers is matched by increased awareness of the commercial world. It is, says Stanning, about helping them understand the psyche of the business clients they are dealing with, so they are better able to deliver pragmatic and effective solutions.

Although the team supports a wide cross-section of businesses, it has particular knowledge of the waste management, renewable energy and recycling businesses, with growing involvement in the charity, pharmaceutical and technology sectors.

A major client is NTR UK Waste Ltd (part of the Greenstar group) and during 2007, the team advised on a number of prospective acquisitions, of which four have so far been completed successfully.

The highlight of these was the acquisition of Verdant Group, which provides refuse collection, recycling collection, street cleaning and associated services to 19 local authorities, in addition to providing significant services to the private sector.

The deal substantially extended the scale of Greenstar UK's activities and the team of 10 lawyers (including members of the Property and Employment groups), led by Zachary, completed it within a very challenging timescale of only three weeks after acceptance of NTR's bid and six weeks from start to finish in total.

Another major client is Summerleaze Group, which B P Collins has worked closely with since 1988, with key projects including the development of RE-Gen's power from landfill gas businesses, culminating in early 2007 in the successful sale of its electricity generation business to private equity group Infinis for £80m.

At the smaller end of the scale, Stanning is also involved in supporting start-up businesses with genuine commercial potential, believing it is important to help today's entrepreneurs on the path to future expansion.

One scheme taking advantage of his expertise is a micro-funding project set up by Maidenhead-based Chris Clegg (formerly Thames Valley regional director of Beer and Partners) which helps analyse proposals and identify potential new markets and partners for prospective businesses.

The team's commitment to start-up businesses at one end and to large multi-million pound organisations at the other sums up the ethos behind the way B P Collins works. It is a practice which really is in partnership with its clients for the long term — supporting, guiding and encouraging them every step of the way.

As featured in the Thames Valley Business Magazine (June edition). Visit www.businessmag.co.uk