Awarded the highest team rankings by Chambers UK and tier 2 in The Legal 500 UK, many of our highly experienced corporate and commercial lawyers are regarded as leading individuals in the legal directories. The team is a major presence within the Thames Valley region acting for successful entrepreneurs, growing businesses, inward investors, and national and international corporates. It also has expertise in waste management, food, technology and the pharmaceutical sectors. Alex Zachary leads the team and Simon Deans is managing partner at the firm.
Accreditation
- Corporate / M&A team ranked in Band 1
- David Smellie Band 1 in Corporate / M&A
- Simon Deans Band 3 in Corporate / M&A
- Alex Zachary Band 2 in Corporate / M&A and Band 1 in Environment
- Team ranked in Tier 2 in Corporate and Commercial
- Alex Zachary ranked as Leading Partner in Corporate and Commercial and as Recommended Lawyer in Environment
- Simon Deans ranked as Leading Partner in Corporate and Commercial
- David Smellie listed as a Recommended Lawyer in Corporate and Commercial
- Beth Miel ranked as a Leading Associate in Corporate and Commercial
The firm has been ranked in The Times Best Law Firms from 2022-2024.
Awards
The team is delighted to have received the following awards in positive recognition of the quality of work, supported by exceptional testimonials from clients.
- Finalist in four categories at Thames Valley Deals Awards 2025 – Corporate Law Firm of the Year, Deal of the Year (over £50m), Deal of the Year (under £10m) and Lawyer of the Year.
- Finalist in two categories at Thames Valley Deals Awards 2024 – Law Firm of the Year and Corporate Deal of the Year.
- Winner of the Corporate Law Firm of the Year in Thames Valley at the 2023 Insider’s Dealmakers Awards.
- Winner in two categories at Thames Valley Deals Awards 2023 – Corporate to Corporate Deal of the Year as well as Mid-Range Deal of the Year (£10m-£50m).
Other firm/lawyer accreditations
- Holly McNeil won Junior Lawyer of the Year 2023 by BB&O Law Society.
- Winner of the Federation of Small Business, Service Excellence Award 2024
- Winner of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, Excellence in Customer Service Award 2023.
- Gold Winner for the Service Excellence Award 2023 for SME MK Buckinghamshire Business Awards.
Key clients
Many of our clients prefer to stay anonymous but here are a few that have allowed us to share their names:
- 2K Polymer Systems
- Biffa Group
- Fidelis Marketing Ltd
- Rico Logistics
- Summerleaze
- TRUMPF Financial Services
- The Amtico Company
- UK Parking Control Limited
Team Testimonials
‘Alex is a first-class team leader and an extremely commercial lawyer.’ – Chambers UK, 2026
‘The corporate team is the strongest part of the firm, with an excellent choice of lawyers, each with their own sector-specific areas of expertise.’ – Chambers UK, 2026
‘The firm is very proactive. I’ve worked with many top law firms during my career and would recommend BP Collins LLP to family and friends.’ – Chambers UK, 2026
‘David Smellie is very good and highly regarded in the area.’ – Chambers UK, 2026
