September 2004
Growth in private client team at Finers Stephens Innocent

July 2004
Finers Stephens Innocent Launch Brighter Plumage 2 and Solutions
Finers Stephens Innocent advise Tragus
Finers Stephens Innocent completes second acquisition and placing for Yoo Media

June 2004
Finers Stephens Innocent recruits new property dispute resolution partner

May 2004
Finers Stephens Innocent recruits new PFI lawyer

April 2003
Finers Stephens Innocent launches Regulatory Enforcement Group

Growth in private client team at Finers Stephens Innocent
Finers Stephens Innocent has added a further 2 experienced lawyers to its rapidly expanding private client team. The department has expanded to double its size during a period of significant development following the arrival of Michael Lewis as Head of Department four years ago.

John Annetts and Richard Denton have joined the team to bring the number of lawyers up to 10. Annetts qualified in September 2000 and trained at Taylor Wessing until joining FSI. His key areas of expertise are estate planning, administration of trusts, probate and the administration of estates. He has also been involved in setting up a number of charities. Denton qualified as a solicitor in 1999 having trained with Eversheds. Following qualification he worked with Addleshaw Goddard in corporate tax prior to moving to the private client department. He advises on pre and post business or company sale tax planning and specialises in will drafting and personal tax planning and has experience of charities work. Partners Liz Palmer specialising in offshore tax structures and Robert Craig specialising in charities and trusts continue to support and spearhead the department.

Lewis’ strategy has been to upgrade the quality and sophistication of private client services provided to high net worth individuals and family estates. The department acts for a number of well known family foundations and provides specialist advice particularly on offshore investments, succession and inheritance
planning as well as charities and trust status. Lewis has also been able to integrate the private client services successfully throughout the firm and has added a growing number of media and arts clients from the firm’s media practice.

Of the future, Lewis comments “We are one of the few mid sized firms to offer private client advice at this level. Our client base has grown enormously hence the recruitment drive. There is still a strong demand for private client services from commercial law firms and we are investing to meet this demand.”.

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Finers Stephens Innocent Launch Brighter Plumage 2 and Solutions

Brighter Plumage 2
Finers Stephens Innocent IP & Media department are delighted to announce the launch of 'Brighter Plumage 2' the new edition of their in-house publication.

Editors Intro
Entertainment, media, software, branding, art, publishing... the activities of FSI's IP/Media department are broad. Our diversity is one of our great strengths and is what makes working in the department such a thrill.

In this issue of Brighter Plumage we have illustrated a small sampling of our work under three section headings:

Protecting your rights
Highlighting the enforcement and defence of intellectual property rights.

Using your rights
Exploiting intellectual property.

Read all about it
Publishing, defamation, the rights of journalists - it's all here.

If you would like to receive a hard copy of this publication please contact HYPERLINK "mailto:marketing@fsilaw.co.uk" marketing@fsilaw.co.uk.

Solutions
Finers Stephens Innocent Litigation department are delighted to announce the launch of 'Solutions' the first edition of their in-house publication.

Editors Intro
Welcome to the first edition of Solutions, the new magazine of FSI's Dispute Resolution Team. We introduce you to samples of the wide range of work recently undertaken by the team in resolving commercial disputes. Solutions also reflects alternative dispute arenas in which FSI is involved such as international arbitrations and regulatory actions in the financial services sector. There are also some practical tips for avoiding commercial disagreements before they become a real problem.

If you would like to receive a hard copy of this publication please contact marketing@fsilaw.co.uk.

Finers Stephens Innocent advise Tragus
Tragus Holdings Limited, one of the largest independent restaurant chain operators in the UK, has raised an additional £13.5 million from Barclays Bank PLC to fund expansion. In addition Tragus has repaid £10 million of preference shares early. Tragus, whose portfolio comprises leading restaurant brands including Bella Italia and Café Rouge, has raised the funds to increase the current pace of expansion into the market. Up to twenty new Bella Italia or Café Rouge restaurants will be opened this financial year, with 10 sites already signed or in advanced negotiation.

Tragus was advised by Finers Stephens Innocent’s head of corporate and commercial Paul Millett with solicitor Sara Wax, Barclays Bank Plc was advised by Richard Mann of DLA.

Finers Stephens Innocent completes second acquisition and placing for Yoo Media
Finers Stephens Innocent Corporate Finance Partner, Ashley Reeback advised existing AIM client YooMedia Plc on the acquisition by YooMedia Dating Limited, its wholly owned subsidiary, of the entire issued share capital of Jiles Limited which owns the Avenues, Clicked and Simply Love dating brands which, coupled with another recent acquisition by YooMedia Plc, makes YooMedia Dating Limited one of the largest dating businesses in the UK, both online and offline. The consideration for the acquisition was the issue of 25 per cent. of the equity in YooMedia Dating Limited. The majority shareholders of Jiles Limited were advised by Adam Makepeace of Streathers.

In addition Ashley Reeback also recently led the FSI team which advised YooMedia on the acquisition of Fancy a Flutter from NDS, a News Corporation company and leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, and gaming and entertainment company Rank Group plc. Fancy a Flutter is a popular fixed-odds gaming channel which occupies a prominent position on the second page of Sky Digital's interactive menu and also within Sky Active and the Betting Zone. The channel features at least five fixed-odds betting games at any time. NDS was advised by in-house counsel and Rank Group plc was advised by in-house lawyer Richard Sabberton-Coe. Corporate lawyer Nicola Fillery and media lawyer Robert Lands completed the FSI team.

Ashley Reeback also advised YooMedia plc on its £7 million placing of new securities, conditional on the approval of shareholders at a convened general meeting. Simon Charles of Marriott Harrison advised Durlacher Limited, the nominated adviser and broker to YooMedia plc.

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Finers Stephens Innocent recruits new property dispute resolution partner
Finers Stephens Innocent is delighted to announce the appointment of partner Paul Dunbar who joins from Rooks Rider to head the FSI Property Dispute Resolution Group.

Dunbar has extensive experience of advising on commercial landlord and tenant disputes, problems relating to freehold land and disputes relating to property transactions. He also has expertise in advising landlords on property management. He has seen many actions through both the County Court and the High Court and into the Court of Appeal. In addition Dunbar has participated in mediations and arbitrations to support clients in dispute avoidance. “I am always particularly concerned with finding commercial solutions and responses for my clients. That approach is completely embedded within the FSI work ethic. I am extremely excited about working with the property team here and supporting the property client portfolio ”.

Paul is a member of the Property Litigation Association and the London Litigation Solicitors Association. He joined FSI on 5th July 2004.

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Finers Stephens Innocent recruits new PFI lawyer
Finers Stephens Innocent are delighted to announce the appointment of senior solicitor Marcus Tapley-Peabody to the firm’s growing PFI and Projects Group established last year following the arrival of partner Andrea Squires from Bevan Ashford.

Tapley-Peabody joins from Taylor Wessing specialising in PFI/PPP work since qualification in 1999. He has worked on a number of large and innovative projects spanning a number of different sectors, in particular defence, education, social care and health, as well as more recent initiatives such as NHS LIFT.  He has acted for awarding authorities, private sector consortia and funders and consequently has an extensive knowledge of the various complexities/issues that may arise throughout the life of a project and, more importantly, how to seek to resolve them. 

The team at FSI are continuing with expansion plans having successfully tendered for a stream of new work including representing businesses in the Lower Lea Valley area, which are affected both by London’s Olympic 2012 bid and the long term regeneration plans for the area. In addition the team is actively targeting Public Sector PFI work having been appointed by Hertfordshire County Council earlier this year.
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Finers Stephens Innocent launches Regulatory Enforcement Group
Finers Stephens Innocent are delighted to announce the formation of a new financial services regulatory enforcement group led by litigation partner Philip Rubens.

Rubens returns to FSI after undertaking a secondment in the enforcement division at the Financial Services Authority(FSA) which currently regulates 12,000 firms in the UK expected to rise to 50,000 in the next 12 months as a result of mortgage providers and insurance intermediaries requiring authorisation. Rubens believes that FSI are in a unique position to advise organisations operating in this sector on the investigative powers of the FSA and the enforcement measures which can be taken.

“This is one of the fastest growing areas in the sector currently and also one which is least understood due to the complexity of the legislation. It is absolutely critical to offer clear advice based on an understanding of the role of the FSA. In addition to that we are able to advise our international affiliate members in Meritas who have clients requiring financial services advice in the UK.”

Joining Rubens in the Group is commercial litigation partner, Mark Brown. The Group becomes effective on 7 April 2004.

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