Foot Anstey completes acquisition of shares for Simply Conveyancing

The corporate team at national law firm, Foot Anstey LLP has advised Simply Conveyancing, which is backed by private equity firm Livingbridge, on the acquisition of Pirie Palmann.

Foot Anstey supported on all legal aspects of the deal, assisting Simply Conveyancing in acquiring the entire issued share capital of Peterborough-based Pirie Palmann Holdings Limited. The acquisition is part of an ambitious growth drive that will see Simply Conveyancing become one of the largest conveyancing practices in the UK.

Simply Conveyancing is a leading firm of property lawyers in England and Wales, specialising solely in residential conveyancing. It has over 200 employees based in Daventry, London, Milton Keynes and Cardiff, with plans to open in the north of England soon. Livingbridge is one of London's leading private equity firms comprised of over 100 individuals working across the UK, the US and Australia.

The acquisition of Pirie Palmann will see the number of employees increase to nearly 300 and brings together two top 30 companies to create one of the top 10 conveyancing practices in the UK.

Pirie Palmann was formed by founders Marion Palmann and Chris Pirie in 1994. The company has an established reputation in the conveyancing industry, carrying out work locally, regionally and nationally and the acquisition will see it retain its recognised brand as part of the larger business.

Matt Stoate, Head of Corporate at Foot Anstey said: "Livingbridge has a proven track record of successfully bolstering its portfolio companies, so when it asked us to support Simply Conveyancing, we were keen to advise. Our team worked in unison with Simply Conveyancing and Livingbridge to generate the desired outcome and acquire Pirie Palmann. We're proud our role as strategic adviser on this share acquisition has helped deliver a result a result that all parties were happy with."

Foot Anstey's advisors:

• Matt Stoate, Partner and Head of Corporate.
• John Pindard, Legal Director.
• Emma Clayton, Associate.
• Beth Nash, Associate.

Beale & Company Solicitors advised the selling shareholders.

To find out more about Foot Anstey's services please visit https://www.footanstey.com/about/ or connect with the firm here https://www.footanstey.com/contact/.