Martin Smith
Multi-award-winning full-service law firm, DWS Legal, has appointed a new Director further strengthening and reinforcing its corporate transaction team.
Martin Smith, an experienced corporate lawyer who has been ranked as a “leading individual” by the Legal 500 in both the East Midlands and East Anglia and an “expert” by Legal Business, has joined the Board of DWS Legal and will head up DWS Legal’s Corporate Team. Speaking of his appointment DWS Legal’s CEO, Sameer Karim, said, “We have had the pleasure of working with Martin on a consultancy basis for several years and during that time he has been invaluable and instrumental in completing a number of high value and prestigious corporate transactions including the sale of a company holding the local Costa Coffee franchises, the sale of an app developer to an AIM listed company, acting for a successful spin-out company from a local university and helping to secure one of the largest international business deals in the East Midlands by co-ordinating the £60 million acquisition of REVIEWS.io by US-based AppHub. Martin has also been involved in a number of deals on a local level, including acting for a well-known local wealth management company which acquired two smaller wealth managers.
“With ambitious plans for our future, I was looking for someone with that level of experience, expertise and leadership to join me on the Board as a fellow Director of DWS Legal. I approached Martin and we found that we have very similar aspirations, values and ambitions. I’m delighted to say that Martin joined DWS Legal as a Director this month.”
Martin Smith worked as a corporate finance executive in the merchant banking sector in the corporate finance departments of both Lazard Brothers and Kleinwort Benson. He brings with him an unusually detailed financial and commercial understanding to getting his clients the right deal on the right terms. He read law at Merton College, Oxford and undertook the London Business School corporate finance programme. He was head of corporate law at Harvey Ingram Owston in Leicester before becoming a partner at city firm DJ Freeman where he was a corporate partner in the Media and Technology Department. Significant deals have included AIM listings, a number of private equity deals and joint ventures, a major privatisation, the takeover of listed Oliver Group plc and the £75 million contested takeover of fully-listed Eidos plc for SCi Entertainment Group plc. He has successfully concluded a large number of private equity and private company deals acting for both investors and management teams and has acted for business angels appearing on a well-known television programme.
Speaking of the appointment Martin added, “I have known Sameer for many years now and have admired his tenacity, determination and innovation in what is often viewed as a very traditional industry. I have seen him grow DWS Legal significantly and have always liked the direction he’s taken. Joining DWS, heading up their Corporate Team and becoming a Director was a natural progression enabling us to further expand and succeed whilst building a solid team. I think the next few years are going to be extremely interesting for DWS Legal and I am looking forward to playing my part in the growth plans this enterprising and innovative law firm have put in place.”
