Steve Berry

Partner


+44 (0)7867 987 928
steve.berry@acuitylaw.com

ABOUT
EXPERTISE
WORK

Steve is an experienced corporate finance lawyer and a founding partner of Acuity. He qualified with Herbert Smith before joining Eversheds and becoming a partner at Eversheds. Steve established the predecessor firm of Acuity Law in 1999 and has been at the forefront of Acuity’s growth.

Steve has a strong track record in advising technology companies and has extensive boardroom experience, having served on a range of boards as commercial and/or legal director. As well as strong technical legal skills, Steve brings a wealth of commercial experience.

  • Corporate deals and transactions including mergers, acquisitions and disposals
  • Private equity funded transactions and PE backed buy and build strategies
  • Commercial projects and contracts including long-term contracts between the private and public sectors
  • Banking and finance structures including complex and structured arrangements
  • Restructuring and distressed situations
  • Advising on the set up, structure and funding of MyPinPad, a leading company in the electronic payments sector, which has raised £20m+ in finance through several funding rounds.
  • Advising on the establishment of Wealthify, a robo-investment platform and its commercialisation through to a major institutional investment by Aviva.
  • Advising on the acquisition by Neptune 6 of the shares in Newport Wafer Fab (NWF) from Infineon AG, and the associated commercial and finance arrangements. Steve is a non-executive director of NWF and continues to lead the Acuity team supporting NWF as it expands its operations to become a leading player in the international semiconductor sector.
  • Advising Eco2 on a series of developments in the renewable energy sector, including three biomass power station projects involving £100m+ financings and leading to the sale of the project companies to financial institutions.
  • Advising on the establishment of Verdion Properties LLP and a long-term strategic alliance with the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan to create a £1bn+ investment platform for logistics properties throughout Europe.
  • Advising the former shareholders of Swansea City FC on the sale of the club to new US-based owners in a £100m+ deal.
  • Advising the management team of Lifetime Training on a secondary buy-out funded by a private equity investor, including terms for realising part of their equity and rolling over into a new structure.
  • Advising a US-based high-end property developer on the acquisition of the Smallbone of Devizes business out of administration, and the associated commercial and intellectual property arrangements.