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Richard Werner

Richard Werner

Partner

London

T: +44 (0) 20 3400 2329

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Biography

Richard advises on all types of corporate transactions, including public takeovers, private M&A, equity capital markets, joint ventures and venture capital investments.  He also works with clients on group reorganisations and provides advice on corporate governance and all aspects of company law.  While he works across a wide range of sectors, Richard has particular experience in real estate and financial services, as well as advising fast-growing companies and their investors.  Richard also has an interest in cryptocurrency and blockchain and has advised on several innovative tokenisation transactions, as well as on other matters in the digital assets space.

Admissions

  • England and Wales

Related Capabilities

  • M&A & Corporate Finance

  • Private Equity

  • Start-Up & Venture Capital Practice

  • Infrastructure

  • Corporate

  • UK Public Company

  • Cryptocurrency & Digital Assets

  • Financial Institutions

  • Energy Transition

  • Healthcare & Life Sciences

  • ESG Governance, Compliance and Reporting

  • Renewables & Storage

Experience

  • Advising Federated Hermes on the merger of its Federated Hermes Property Unit Trust fund (FHPUT) with L&G’s Managed Property Fund (MPF), to create a fund with a combined portfolio valued at £4.7 billion.  This novel transaction was the first merger between an unauthorised exempt property unit trust and a fund structured in the form of MPF.

  • Advising on the merger of Elysian Residences and Audley Group, together with external investment from institutional funds, to create the largest retirement village provider in the UK.

  • Advised LXi REIT on its £6.2 billion merger with LondonMetric Property to create the UK’s fourth largest REIT.
  • Advised Stifel Financial Corp. in connection with the UK aspects of its acquisition of Bryan, Garnier & Co., a leading independent full-service investment bank focused on European technology and healthcare companies.
  • Advised Secure Income REIT on:
    • Its IPO and on a subsequent “re-IPO” and secondary placing of shares raising £282 million.
    • Two simultaneous acquisitions with an aggregate value of £436 million and an associated £315 million equity fundraise.
    • Its recommended £3.9 billion merger with LXi REIT.
  • Advised MetaWin on the creation of a digital token giving the holder the rights to a Tesla Cybertruck, thought to be the first tokenisation of rights to a vehicle.  MetaWin is a platform for on-chain prize competitions and instant-win games.
  • Acted for U+I Group on its recommended takeover by Landsec, valuing U+I at approximately £190 million.
  • Advised Axiom European Financial Debt Fund on a scheme of reconstruction, under which AEFD was liquidated and shareholders were entitled to roll over their investment into an open-ended fund managed by the same investment manager, with the option to instead receive a cash distribution.
  • Advised HWSIL Realisation Fund on the recommended cash offer by Cubitt Trade Holdings LLC, which valued HWSIL at approximately £80 million.
  • Advised on the reorganisation of a property investment business spanning five jurisdictions and breaking new ground in its use of multiple Court-approved EU cross-border mergers.
  • Advised Max Property on the sale of its entire investment portfolio to Blackstone for £448 million.

 

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