Ben is a second year trainee, currently in his fourth seat in the Private Client department, Gatwick.
Ben’s first seat was with the Real Estate Group in London, where clients included landlords, tenants and property investment companies. Ben was involved in a wide range of residential and commercial property matters, from leasehold enfranchisement to large scale development projects.
Ben’s second seat was with the Dispute Resolution Group in London where he worked on a variety of property litigation, general commercial litigation and contentious matrimonial and insolvency matters. As well as regularly attending the County Court and the High Court, Ben assisted with the preparations for, and later attended, a complex Court of Appeal hearing in the Royal Courts of Justice. Day-to-day Ben was responsible for drafting instructions to counsel, witness statements and letters-before-action, undertaking legal research, and liaising with clients.
Ben's third seat was with the Corporate Group in London where he managed a broad and interesting caseload, from public and private M&A, to private equity deals and share buy backs. In particular Ben assisted the Head of the Corporate Group in London, Jonathan Deverill, on Espial Group Inc.'s cross-border acquisition of AIM-listed ANT plc which was made through a takeover offer effected by way of a scheme of arrangement under the Companies Act 2006. For further information on this deal, please see the press-release on our website at:
Espial Group Inc. acquisition press release
From a public M&A angle, also worth noting is Ben's contribution to the reverse takeover by Armscote Investment Company Plc (renamed as Venn Life Sciences Holdings plc) of Venn Life Sciences Limited.
During Ben's seven months with the Corporate Group he had the opportunity to work alongside a Partner on the private acquisition of a large leasehold property portfolio and management company which consisted of an off-shore funding structure in the Isle of Man and Guernsey, and the use of limited partnerships for optimal tax efficiency for the client. Ben played an integral role in the project management and completion of what was an extremely complex transaction.
Ben studied law at the University of Essex and completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Bloomsbury, London, graduating with Distinction. Before starting at DMH Stallard, Ben worked as an Adjudicator at the Financial Ombudsman Service, dealing with investment complaints brought by consumers against banks, building societies, insurance companies and other financial institutions.
During his time at the Financial Ombudsman Service, Ben gained a qualification in the Investment Operations Certificate (IOC) from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
