Matthew Stratton
“Matthew Stratton has a good proactive approach and is a very good problem solver with a commercial mindset.
”
Partner
London
T +44 (0) 20 7481 0010
matthewstratton@incegd.com
Department Corporate Qualified England & Wales, 1999 Education (University) Leeds University, York Law School
Matthew is an experienced corporate law specialist, who helps clients achieve successful outcomes in domestic and cross-border transactions.
Matthew advises UK and international clients across the spectrum of corporate transactions. These include M&A, joint ventures, restructurings, shareholding arrangements, fund raising and investments. His clients range from UK start-ups to global conglomerates, and come from a variety of industries, particularly transportation, energy, technology, retail and real estate.
He also advises overseas companies on inward investment into the UK on matters relating to corporate structures, employment, trade mark protection, contractual arrangements and related areas.
Quote
“A SINGLE MINDED FOCUS ON PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS”
Professional Associations & Memberships
Law Society of England and Wales
What you may not know about Matthew
A classic MAMIL, I enjoy cycling to work
Advised Subsea7 (Oslo listed) on its acquisition of 50% of Seaway Heavy Lifting (c$320m)
Advised Aegean Marine Petroleum Network (NYSE listed) on its proposed acquisition of HEC Europe (c$367m)
Advised Top Ships (NASDAQ listed) on a ‘milestone’ JV with Gunvor (c$55m)
Advised a US private equity house on its acquisition of a UK freight forwarding/logistics company (£undisclosed)
Advised a software house on its acquisition of a software business from IBM (£undisclosed)
Advised a foreign exchange company on its sale to private equity (c£20m)
Advised a tech start-up on an early stage investment round (£1m)
Advised a Thai based automative group on its disposal of a Dubai based marine business to a South African business (£undisclosed)
Advised a global shipping trust on its corporate sale of a Mayfair freehold to private equity (c£20m)
19-09-2018 /
A new Corporate Governance Code designed to attract long-term investment to the UK and promote integrity in business will apply to premium listed companies, for financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2019
09-07-2018 / Real Estate
Where UK real estate is owned by a company and that company wishes to dispose of it, buyers can, in certain circumstances, choose between acquiring 100 of the shares in the company from its shareholders or buying the property outright from the company One of the main advantages of structuring a real estate transaction so that a buyer acquires the shares in the company is that the buyer can realise significant tax savings
22-01-2018 / Maritime
The Criminal Finances Act 2017 (“the Act”) came into force on 30 September 2017. Its target is the prevention of tax evasion, which is the deliberate and illegal circumvention of tax rules in order to escape a tax liability. This should be distinguished from tax avoidance, which is a legal method of minimising tax liability. The legislation impacts all service providers, including those operating internationally, as many shipping companies do, provided they have a presence and/or business operations in the UK and/or there is some other link to the UK.
19-10-2017 / Energy & Infrastructure
The Criminal Finances Act 2017 (the Act) came into force on 30 September 2017 Its target is the prevention of tax evasion, which is the deliberate and illegal circumvention of tax rules in order to escape a tax liability Contrast this with tax avoidance, which is a legal method of minimising tax liability
25-07-2017 /
On 30 June, RNA Analytics (a subsidiary of South Korean company RNA Holdings Co Ltd) successfully completed an acquisition of software assets and technology
09-06-2017 / Energy & Infrastructure
Every year, thousands of businesses experience serious financial difficulties, even insolvency, simply because they are not paid on time. Late payment is recognised by the UK government as a key issue for small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) as it can adversely affect cash flow and jeopardise the ability to trade.[1]
14-07-2016 / Energy & Infrastructure
In our October 2015 bulletin, we mentioned some forthcoming changes to UK companies legislation, including the introduction ofa mandatory new PSC (person of significant control) Register and the abolition of corporate directors for all UK entities. This note provides an update on the status of these changes, as at July 2016.
12-05-2016 /
This note focuses on the impact of the new regime on English incorporated companies. Broadly similar rules apply to LLPs and SAs but are outside the scope of this note.
29-04-2016 / Maritime
The Shipping E-Brief is a quarterly publication providing you with key information on legal decisions and developments in shipping and related business areas.
12-10-2015 / Energy & Infrastructure
The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 received Royal Assent on 26 March 2015 (the “Act”), the provisions of which aim to enhance the transparency of companies in the UK. The Act has brought about many changes to key provisions in the Companies Act 2006 and has, amongst other things, created a new central register of beneficial owners of companies, banned the creation of new bearer shares and adopted a prohibition on corporate directors. Energy contractors often have English incorporated entities within their group structure. If this applies to you, you will need to take action! This note considers the impact the Act will have on English companies and what companies should be considering now to ensure compliance.
11-07-2014 /
On 26 May 2014, Rio Tinto, Chinalco and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation announced a deal to develop Guinea’s iron ore deposits – potentially doubling Guinea’s GDP. According to the firms involved the ‘Simandou’ project will be the biggest combined iron ore and infrastructure project ever seen in Africa, with a value in the region of $20 billion (£12 billion).