Expertise

Lance's major area of work covers general corporate work including mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, IPOs on the Official List and the Alternative Investment Market, private equity transactions, fundraisings, group reorganisations and reductions of capital. More recently Lance has been involved in 'fast tracking' overseas companies to AIM and has advised on a number of dual listings.

Lance has considerable experience of project managing complex cross border transactions working alongside institutional investors, buyers, sellers and banks, on a multi-jurisdictional basis and has been involved in UK and European inward investment and has acted for a number of North American and European buyers.

Lance heads the North America Group and is a member of the Natural Resources Team.

Experience

• Advised German company Eppendorf on the UK aspects of its acquisition of a NASDAQ Company.
• Advised Photo Channel Plc, a TSX Company, on its Recommended Offer for Pixology Plc, an AIM Company.
• Advising a JSE/AIM listing for a South African based mining Company.
• Advised the Selling Shareholders in Holroyd Howe Limited on the sale of the Company to Baxter Storey (who acquired Benugo at the same time) giving the combined group a turnover of over £178 million, with 4,450 employees.
• Advised Wogen Plc, a London-based independent, international metal trading business whose activities are focused on specialty metals and minerals, on its placing and admission to AIM with an intial market capitalisation of £54.8 million.
• Advised brokers Jefferies International Limited and Mirabaud Securities Limited, together with Nabarro Wells & Co. Limited as Nominated Adviser to Ithaca Energy, Inc. in connection with Ithaca Energy's £28.3m fundraising and dual listing on AIM and the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada with a market capitalisation of £60 million.
• Advised the share holding management team of Discovery Group Limited on the exit from Discovery by its former lead investor, August Equity, and the simultaneous acquisition of Discovery for £82 million by members of the management team and Exponent Private Equity, acting through a new corporate vehicle.
• Bam Entertainment Inc (a NASDAQ company) - recommended offer for VIS Entertainment plc (now re-registered as VIS Entertainment Limited).
• URS Corporation – worldwide reorganisation in over 40 countries, and other commercial matters.
• Easygroup – various commercial matters.
• Kroll – UK acquisitions and other commercial matters.
• Advice to UK clearing bank on limited partnership investments, and related matters.
• Advice to Dutch private equity fund on UK investments.
• Advice to listed plc on strategic alliance with Japanese company in respect of worldwide distribution arrangements.
• Advised on MBO of soft and hardwood timber division of a listed plc.
• Advised on MBO of medical devices division of a listed plc.
• Member of team which advised UK authorised bank on establishment of cross border credit card operations.
  

Professional

Speechly Bircham, Articled Clerk/Assistant Solicitor 1979-1983
Lombard North Central plc (part of National Westminster Bank Group), Solicitor 1983-1985
Hobson Audley, Partner 1985-1996
Andersen Legal, Partner 1996-2002
LG, Partner 2002 to date

Professional Memberships

Institute of Directors
British American Business Inc (BABI)
International Bar Association
French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain

Publications

• Contributed a chapter to "The Complete Guide to Listing on the London Stock Exchange" (2002 Edition)
• Regularly gives seminars (IOD and Euromoney) on buying and selling companies and pan-European due diligence exercises
• Author of "Making Overseas Acquisitions" in the LG Corporate LawGram
• Author of "Non executive Directorships – are they worth it?" in the LG Corporate LawGram
• Author of “Why is AIM proving so attractive to US Companies?” for PLC Cross Border Manual