Joseph has significant experience in private transactions, especially in relation to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, equity financings, loan and security documentation and capital raising. He also has experience of public company transactions including initial public offerings.
Joseph is also experienced in corporate recovery and insolvency work, particularly in relation to pre-packaged administrations and liquidations, security reviews, structuring security packages, corporate restructurings, refinancings and advising on directors’ duties and phoenix company provisions.
Expertise
- M&A (public and private)
- Asset Sales (including insolvency sales and related advice)
- Joint Ventures
- Private Equity Investment
- Company Reorganisations and Administration
- Shareholders Agreements, Partnership Agreements and LLP Agreements
- General Counsel advice on corporate and commercial issues including insolvency related advice
- Pre-packaged administrations and liquidations
- Reviewing the validity of security
- Structuring security packages
- Company restructuring and financing (in preparation for or to avoid insolvency)
- Directors’ Duties
- Section 216 Insolvency Act (phoenix trading provisions)
Experience
Corporate/Commercial
- Compara Finanza: Advised Italian price comparison website Compara Finanza on its €5.3m private equity fundraising.
- IDT Corporation (NYSE): Headed the Keystone team responsible for advising on the sale of IDT’s financial services business to LSE listed NEOVIA Financial plc.
- Hamleys plc (London Stock Exchange): Advised the board on takeover by way of MBO. Handled all documentation and co-ordinated resolution of issues between the company, the brokers and the competing bidders.
- Pearson Education Ltd: Advised on joint venture and associated acquisition of this international publishing business from BBC Worldwide. Negotiated all documentation including sale and shareholders’ agreements, service level agreements and licence agreements.
- Babcock & Brown: Sole responsibility for advising on the divestment of company’s interests in various property portfolios. Negotiated all sale documentation and commercial issues.
- Aldersgate Investments Limited: Advised this Reuben Brothers’ owned entity on investment in and refinancing of £120m property portfolio.
- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (traded on NASDAQ): Sole responsibility for advising on all UK financing aspects of $3.6bn acquisition of US company and co-ordinating advice and documentation from all other jurisdictions.
- Galleon Independent Client Advisors Limited: Advised this private client investment boutique on various investments ranging from £1m to £12m. Established investment funds, and prepared detailed Information Memoranda regarding the specific investments.
- Advised the UK Master Franchisee of chicken restaurant Wingstop in its first opening in the UK market.
Insolvency
- David Rubin & Partners – consistently acting for this firm of Insolvency Practitioners in relation to the pre-packaged sale of companies in administration and liquidation and associated reviews of the validity of security
- Brightview Limited – acted for the board of this telecommunications company on its negotiations with creditors and investors and a shareholder dispute which led to administration and pre-packaged sale to new entity
- Advised the shareholders of national furniture company on the sale of its shares to a UK PLC to allow further funding and avoid insolvency
- Tile Depot – advised the board of Newco on pre-packaged purchase of the business of Tile Depot Trading Limited (in Administration) together with related advice on phoenix trading provisions
- Various confidential clients – advised the boards of numerous confidential clients on transactions to avoid insolvency
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Joseph qualified as a solicitor in 2001. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2006, he worked at Denton Wilde Sapte.