Birketts LLP delivers ‘creative, strategic approaches tailored to each situation’. The Cambridge office is a vital hub in the firm-wide corporate practice, and is home to specialists in M&A and private equity matters. Greg Allan leads the corporate practice, while James Allen , who provides ‘exceptional strategic foresight and consistently delivers high-impact results under pressure’, is head of corporate finance, and Adrian Seagers is the lead corporate services partner. Quentin Golder, who focuses on early-stage funding, entrepreneurial and commercial matters, assisted Allen with the sale of real estate software company Coyote Group Ltd. to a US buyer. Andrew Priest is the go-to adviser for commercial and technology related arrangements and projects. Stephanie Newman possesses ‘a rare combination of attention to detail and creative problem-solving’. Nick Burt and Simona Gruodyte play key roles in the corporate M&A transactions and reorganisations teams.

Goodwin is an international law firm with a strong focus on the tech and life sciences sectors, making it well placed in the Cambridge market. The local team, led by IP commercialisation specialist Malcolm Bates, corporate and finance partner David Mardle, and M&A, IPO and VC funding expert Tim Worden, works hand-in-hand with the firm’s London office to assist biotechnology companies across the corporate lifecycle, as well as supporting leading venture capital and investment firms active in the life sciences sector. The firm has particular expertise in working with emerging companies and their investors in early-stage financings, capital markets, M&A, dispute resolution, strategic collaborations and licensing transactions. Among the firm’s up-and-coming partners are Elizabeth Rhodes and Adam Thatcher, who advise investors and growth companies on corporate matters.

At Mills & Reeve LLP, ‘every member of the team is approachable and personable’. Prominent regionally and nationally, the firm increasingly handles cross-border M&A transactions. Tom Pickthorn leads on corporate transactions, while Kevin Calder is the standout partner for commercial matters, and James Fry oversees the firm’s work in the life sciences sector. Other key members of the team are Poppy Short, who ‘gives pragmatic and understandable advice’ to universities, further education colleges and schools on corporate matters. Dona Ardeman handles investment funds and early-stage venture capital investment work, Neil Burton is a key adviser to charities, Jonathan Greenwood focuses on mid-market M&A and PE investments, and Zickie Lim leads the firm’s venture capital group with a strong focus on the technology and life sciences sectors.

The team at Mishcon de Reya LLP is ‘easy to work with, responsive, clear and diligent’. The firm has strong relationships with innovative, IP-rich companies around Cambridge, but continues to expand the scope of its client base. Venture capital expert Erika McIntyre in London and Cambridge-based Charles Fletcher, who handles M&A, corporate advisory work, equity and debt fundraisings, and international investment transactions, co-lead the corporate practice. Adam Bradley is ‘commercial in his approach and appropriately responsive’, and Chris Keen, who is head of the emerging companies group, is ‘very pragmatic and always tries to find a sensible and fair route forward’.

Taylor Wessing LLP has been involved in ground-breaking transactions for IP-rich life sciences and deeptech businesses, with work spanning company formations, spin-outs and accelerator programmes, venture capital fundraisings, licensing and collaboration agreements, and much more. Its sector focus puts it in the frame for both established companies in the Cambridge tech and science cluster, as well as new high-growth companies that can leverage the firm’s expertise in disruptive technologies and its extensive international office network. Ross McNaughton is a go-to lawyer for investments in life sciences and science-driven companies. The team, which includes IP specialist Adrian Toutoungi and emerging VC talent Oli Denne, is ‘extremely well-versed in science and technology matters, which gives them an edge’.

Withers LLP is ‘at the forefront of legal services for anything related to venture capital and startups’, and clients appreciate its ‘great outside-the-box thinking’. The Cambridge office is home to head of the global life sciences group Susanna Stanfield, who is ‘responsive, extremely professional and very kind’. She draws on her extensive experience as a corporate and venture capital lawyer to handle multimillion-pound cross-border deals. James Shaw, a key adviser to entrepreneurs, high-growth technology-based companies and investors whose ‘strategic insight and ability to simplify complex legal matters make a real difference’, and up-and-coming VC specialist Mary Harley also play key roles in the practice.

Broadfield Law UK LLP, formerly known as BDB Pitmans, has ‘a responsive team that focuses on the client’s needs and cost-effective solutions’. Practice head Duncan Walker is ‘very collaborative, client-focused and gets things done’; he is a vastly experienced corporate lawyer, working for a broad base of regional private entrepreneurs, SMEs, and large corporate organisations both in East Anglia and beyond. Walker and emerging talent Ross Fletcher acted for Owlstone Medical Limited in a $27m fundraising round to support the clinical development of a breath test for the early detection of lung cancer.

HCR Hewitsons remains a prominent adviser to both private and public companies, tech start-ups, and family-run businesses. Inger Anson, who is ‘really knowledgeable but also highly pragmatic’, leads on corporate transactions, and Rebecca Quinn on commercial matters. James Lawrence is a recognised expert in corporate finance matters, and Laurence Evans is a prominent adviser on MBOs, restructurings, and complex share transactions. In early 2025, the firm hired Sarah Ilic from Mishcon de Reya LLP, who adds in-depth knowledge of venture capital and early-stage funding work.

Howes Percival LLP ‘has a high level of technical skill, but also the ability to work with clients for whom this is a strange new world’. Through its Cambridge office, where James Stephen leads the firm-wide corporate and banking team, the practice continues to make significant lateral hires. The most recent came in early 2025 with the arrival of corporate and finance partner Simon Warburton from Dentons. The firm is a prominent adviser to private equity investors and has a strong presence in mid-market deals locally and beyond East Anglia. Ollie Flowers and Josie Rogers are among the talented lawyers coming through the ranks.

Ashtons Legal has a strong regional offering that encompasses M&A transactions, franchising deals, and a strong sector focus on the technology, care home, and banking spaces. The corporate and commercial practice is led from Ipswich by Geoff Hazlewood, but Nick Palmer continues to re-establish the firm’s presence in Cambridge, where he focuses on owner-managed family businesses and entrepreneurs. His work primarily involves M&A, business structuring and corporate governance work.

Stobbs IP leverages its innovative Virtual General Counsel (VGC) offering in its growing commercial practice, which is extending the firm’s range beyond its core IP and brand management practice. The practice is led from London by Olivia Bedell-Pearce and Sarah Fellows, but the Cambridge office plays a key role, with William Haig handling commercial contracts, particularly those relating to IP. Clients praise the lawyers as ‘exceptional in their service and support’.

Stone King LLP has ‘an excellent team – strategic and responsive’. The firm focuses predominantly on assisting impact ventures, social enterprises, education establishments and charities. The ‘dedicated, professional and creative’ Tamsin Eastwood is the key partner in Cambridge. She frequently works with colleagues in London on company and commercial, corporate finance, M&A, and banking transactions.

Woodfines LLP has an ‘approachable and friendly’ practice that leverages its in-depth knowledge of key sectors, including the transport, recruitment, professional services, manufacturing, green energy, and agriculture industries. Practice head Neil Gibbs and Claire Le Mouëllic work between the firm’s office in Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge to advise owner-managed businesses, partnerships/LLPs, and private limited companies. Experience senior associate Gillian Harding  assists with commercial contracts, including the drafting of bespoke standard contracts to suit individual businesses.