Leading on more than 40 transactions worth a total of £150m-plus over the past year has put Bath-headquartered law firm Royds Withy Kings’s social care team in the running for a major award.
The team has been shortlisted in the ‘Legal Advisers of the Year – Transactional’ category of the influential trade publication Health Investor’s prestigious annual awards.
Royds Withy King has one of the UK’s strongest social care teams acting for residential and specialist care homes, retirement villages and children’s services providers.
It is recommended by the Care Association Alliance and is a commercial partner to Care England, the trade body for independent care providers.
As well as placing the firm on the 10-strong shortlist for the number of deals it completed in the past 12 months, Health Investor also recognised its commitment to the social care sector with its partnership with ownacarehome.com, a resource for care providers, as well as its strong relationships with other advisers across the sector.
Royds Withy King social care team corporate partner Hazel Phillips, pictured, said: “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for Health Investor award – they really do showcase the very best advisers in the sector and recognise the valued support law firms provide.
“We have seen a significant lift in sales and acquisitions in the social care sector following the uncertainty of the last two years.
“It is being driven by providers disillusioned with the sector and some mainstream lenders looking to exit the market.
“On the plus side, there are lots of buyers and plenty of interest from private equity investors.
“Price expectations do need to be managed, particularly for homes reliant on more expensive agency staff. Sellers looking to go to market are advised to be well prepared as due diligence will be as detailed as ever, particularly around staffing costs and liability.
“We expect levels of mergers, sales and acquisitions to continue throughout 2022.”
Winners of the Health Investors Awards will be announced at an awards dinner at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 8 June.
Royds Withy King, which also has offices in Bristol, Swindon, London and Oxford, employs 480 people providing a wide range of services, from corporate and commercial to family and private client law, across a number of key sectors.
