Stuart Mullins

Partner

Stuart Mullins

Partner

“Stuart Mullins has always been highly professional, commercial and responsive, often in high pressure environments…Stuart is exactly the kind of advisor I want on my team.”

James Hawksworth – RSM

Stuart Mullins is a partner in the corporate and commercial team, and member of forburyTECH, a tech start-up advisory of Clarkslegal.

Stuart has over 15 years’ experience providing corporate and business law advice to a wide range of businesses including start-ups, owner-managed businesses, SMEs and large listed corporates.

His expertise includes advising clients on M&A, restructurings, insolvency, Employee Ownership Trusts to shareholder and partnership issues, and also advises on a wide range of commercial matters including licence and service agreements, charitable organisations and constitutions.

Stuart acts for domestic and international businesses across a range of sectors, with particular expertise in the technology space.

Stuart Mullins

Partner

Experience

Fundraising – angels, private equity, venture capital

Stuart has extensive experience advising both investors and businesses in respect of all aspects of funding, including angel, and series fund raises.

Business divorce

Stuart advises both businesses and individuals in respect of shareholder and business owner disputes.

Shareholders’ agreements and joint ventures

Stuart advises on drafting partnership agreements, shareholder agreements and articles of association.

Business and Corporate Structures

Stuart advises clients on business and corporate structures; including de-mergers and re-organisations, Employee Ownership Trusts and sales and acquisitions.

Insolvency & Restructuring

Stuart advises on all aspects of non- contentious corporate insolvency with a particular focus on solvent liquidations along with experience in advising on directors duties and conduct.

Shareholdings and Share Re-organisations

Stuart advises on, share capital consolidations, buy backs, demergers, changes to rights attaching to shares and share classifications and rights issues.

What our clients say

“Stuart and the rest of the team provided expert support during a recent corporate restructuring. We were calmly guided through the complex legal process, and realised significant additional benefits directly related to the advice provided.”

Stefan Zabel, Director, Wood Designer Ltd

“I had an excellent experience working with Stuart Mullins. He was thoughtful, pragmatic, and extremely efficient. Thank you very much for all your hard work to get the deal across the line.”

Jerry Izard, Director, Independent Optics Ltd

“Stuart Mullins was great at understanding what my needs were and responded in a timely manner every time. It was great to talk to someone who understood our situation and moved my transaction to completion efficiently and diligently. I really appreciated the extent to which Stuart explained everything to me regarding the transaction agreement, which gave me so much confidence when speaking to the purchaser”.

Jan Tupper, Proprietor, Arniss Equestrian Ltd

“I was impressed with the speed, turnaround and frequency of communication in my dealings with Stuart Mullins, in concluding my share purchase.”

Nigel Keene, Managing Director, Whiteknights Estate Agents

Read, listen and watch our latest insights

07 February 2020
Corporate and M&A

Investor Relief

The Finance Act 2016 introduced investor relief which is essentially a tax relief for Capital Gains in a similar way to the operation of Entrepreneurs Relief. On qualification any capital gain is reduced from the usual capital gains rate – currently 20% to 10%.

07 February 2020
Corporate and M&A

What does the new decade herald for EMI Option Schemes?

The Enterprise Management Initiative (EMI) option scheme is a tax efficient incentive scheme designed to incentivise employees by enjoying the rewards of growth and business success usually on a sale

07 February 2020
Corporate and M&A

Director’s Duties Can Survive Insolvency Process

In the recent high court case Re Systems Building Services Group Ltd , there was considerable debate and judgement made on whether a director’s general duties, as outlined in section 171 to 177 of the Companies Act 2006, survive a company’s entry into a formal insolvency process.

14 January 2020
Corporate and M&A

Lending money to Directors

It is not unusual for a Company to lend money to a director of a Company, nor is it unlawful. However, there are a number of points to consider, including declarations of interest and how this sits with the constitution of the Company and a directors’ statutory duties generally and also the treatment of the loan from a tax perspective – not only for the director but the Company too.

14 January 2020
Corporate and M&A

Removing a Director under the Companies Act

The Companies Act 2006 contains a right for members of the Company to seek the removal of a director from office by convening a general meeting of its members and passing an ordinary resolution. This provision is seen as sacrosanct in the Companies Act 2006 – any attempt to exclude this right in the Companies articles of association would be unenforceable.

14 January 2020
Corporate and M&A

Share buybacks and payments

The concept of share buybacks is a useful one. The ability for a company to buy back its own shares is seen as a useful tool for capital re-organisations and a tax efficient way in which to remove a shareholder or class of shareholders.

Contact Stuart

+44 118 960 4672 contact@clarkslegal.com