A team of Shoosmiths corporate specialists has won a coveted health sector award.
It scooped the Legal Advisers of the Year - Transactional category at the HealthInvestor Awards 2013.
Led by partner Emma Gibson, the team comprises partners Sean Wright and Lynn Knight, and associates Rachel Reeves and Nina Smith.
Their submission was chosen by an independent judging panel ahead of others from rivals Browne Jacobson
DAC Beachcroft, Eversheds, Mills & Reeve, Nabarro, Pinsent Masons, and Speechly Bircham.
A must-attend event in the health sector, the HealthInvestor Awards recognise and promote excellence and innovation, attracting more than 1,000 leading industry figures.
Submissions this year were up 10% on 2012, with Shoosmiths' highlighting key transactions, including advising August Equity on its £111m sale of Enara Group to MITIE Group PLC; and providing advice to the Lifeways Group management team on its secondary buyout, which was backed by OMERS Private Equity and a group of banks led by HSBC.
Boasting cross-disciplinary, national capability covering tax, real estate, regulatory, employment and commercial as well as corporate law; the team is establishing a reputation as the 'go to' legal adviser for health sector deals, while innovation includes helping to 'bed down' clients' new acquisitions through a customised 'post-deal room' on a secure extranet.
After collecting the award at a ceremony at London's Grosvenor House Hotel, Emma Gibson said: "This is the result of a tremendous effort on the part of the whole healthcare team, and in particular Lynn Knight and Rachel Reeves.
"Clients praise us for demonstrating a real desire to understand their businesses, say we respond quickly, and are proactive, too. It all contributes to us really starting to make a mark in this sector."
The awards are run by HealthInvestor, which describes itself as 'the UK healthcare industry's most respected information source'. It publishes HealthInvestor monthly magazine, www.healthinvestor.co.uk and Who's Who in Healthcare.