Harriet Smith Partner & Solicitor, Head of Corporate

Harriet is a Partner and Head of the Corporate and Commercial department with over 15 years' experience advising businesses, owner-managers, investors and management teams on a broad range of corporate transactions and commercial matters through every stage of the business lifecycle. 

Harriet leads a collaborative team dedicated to helping businesses grow, adapt and succeed. Whether clients are buying, selling, growing, investing in or restructuring a business, they value Harriet’s approachable manner, commercially focused advice and ability to simplify complex legal issues. 

Harriet has extensive experience leading transactions, typically valued up to £25 million, across a diverse range of sectors, including engineering, manufacturing, transport, pharmaceutical, property, professional services, food and beverage, advertising, travel and environmental services.

Alongside transactional work, Harriet regularly advises on shareholders’ agreements, articles of association, commercial and intellectual property agreements, share restructures and group reorganisations. 

Harriet’s recent experience includes advising:

• the founders on the sales of their businesses in an accountancy group to private equity-backed buyers in excess of £14 million;
• a long-standing wealth management client in respect of its share acquisitions of IFA businesses for an aggregate sum in excess of £4 million;
• the exiting founder on a £2.9 million management buyout of his manufacturing company;
• a Hong Kong based long-standing client on the refinancing of high-value commercial property in the City of London, backed by a £10million international bank facility;
• the shareholders on a multi-million-pound sale of their transport business to one of the UK's largest public transport operators;
• on a carve out of the business of an international multi-award winning bestseller conversion manual, followed by a subsequent share sale by the founders of the retained business; 
• a pharmaceutical company on the restructuring and debt conversion of its UK subsidiary in a transaction worth more than £7 million;  
• the founders on their exit via a management buyout of their highly respected construction business in excess of £3 million; 
• the sellers on their multiple business and asset disposals in the pharmaceutical sector; and
• a long-standing manufacturing client on a key supply subcontract supporting one of the world's largest defence contractors' nuclear submarine programmes.