Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon has been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s Legal Business Awards, which take place on Thursday 30 September 2021.
Finance Team of the Year
The firm’s Banking and Finance team has been shortlisted for its work advising C&J Clark Limited – Clarks – on the refinancing of its debt facilities, undertaken alongside the acquisition by LionRock of a majority equity stake in the group.
Founded in 1825, Clarks is an international shoe retailer, wholesaler and e-commerce business and an iconic brand. It operates stores globally, and its head office and distribution centre is based in Street, Somerset.
The firm also advised Clarks on the pensions aspects of the refinancing and restructuring of the business, working with the pension trustees and other stakeholders to ensure that the c. £1.1 billion Clarks pension fund is properly supported.
The restructuring involved coordinating with a number of other legal and financial advisers across multiple jurisdictions (including UK, Hong Kong, PRC, US, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands) in relation to multiple work streams including the equity acquisition and a Company Voluntary Arrangement in addition to the debt restructuring.
The Burges Salmon team was led by Banking partner Graham Soar, alongside partners Michael Hayles (Pensions) and Chris Worrall (Competition), senior associates Nick Middleton and Crispin Freeman and associate Chris Herford.
CSR Programme of the Year
The firm has been shortlisted in this category for its ‘Working with Schools’ Virtual Adaptation, led by Burges Salmon’s Corporate Responsibility Team.
The firm adapted it’s ‘Working with Schools’ programme throughout the pandemic to support less-advantaged students. The firm provided financial funding, deployed volunteers, hosted on-line sessions, created new virtual content, established new collaborations and donated books and IT equipment.
The programme combines in-house activities along with support to community-based organisations to enable a dynamic portfolio of; work experience, career guidance, mock interviews, curriculum enhancement, cv reviews, mentoring, confidence building, skills development, workplace engagements, project work and insight sessions.
The programme is geared towards state school students aged 14 – 18. It seeks to especially enable students from low-income households and with parents that did not attend university.
Prior to the pandemic, the programme had already been recognised as best practice, with endorsement from Business in the Community, which named Burges Salmon a ‘Responsible Business Champion 2020’, providing a strong foundation from which to work.
Burges Salmon’s Working with Schools Programme during the first year of the pandemic: collaborated with 39 community organisations; contacted 127 schools with opportunities; reached 528 students beneficiaries; and, deployed 207 Volunteers.
The Legal Business Awards 2021 take place on Thursday 30 September 2021 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London.