Partner Article

Chemical buyout ends law firm's year of success

The Tees Valley office of Dickinson Dees is celebrating a successful 2008 after playing a crucial role in a locally-based management buy-out.

Nigel Williams, partner at the Tees Valley office, led a multi-disciplinary team in the buy-out of Fine Organics Limited, based at Seals Sands, on the outskirts of Hartlepool, for an undisclosed sum.

Keith Hanson, the managing director of Fine Organics Limited, which operates in the fine chemicals sector, said the MBO would mean “survival for the firm”.

Mr Hanson said: “As with any transaction, you have to have reorganisation but hopefully the target in the long term can be sustainability of the site as a whole.

“On behalf of the management buy-out team, I would like to thank Nigel Williams and the Dickinson Dees team for the professional and dedicated support during our project, which was not the most straightforward of MBOs. They were very flexible in their approach to the challenges of this international transaction and certainly ensured that the project was completed on time.”

Mr Hanson explained Fine Organics would be hoping for a share of the European chemical industry, saying: “we don’t profess that we can compete with the biggest companies in China but our intention is certainly to be the best in Europe.” Nigel Williams said: “2008 has been an excellent year for the corporate department at Dickinson Dees, despite the challenging economic conditions during the past six months and the Tees Valley office has played a major part in contributing to this great year.”

Over the past twelve months the corporate department of the firm acted on almost £800m worth of deals.

Nigel Williams said: “Overall, we are going from strength to strength in the Tees Valley, having doubled our numbers in our commercial disputes, corporate and commercial and property teams. Our office continues to provide an unrivalled service throughout the Tees Valley, backed up by additional expertise and resource in Newcastle and York.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .