Paul Wigham

Paul specialises in acquisitions and disposals of companies and businesses for both owner managed businesses and large corporate clients. He advises on private equity investments, particularly in relation to early-stage companies, and provides general funding advice to companies, including advice on banking facilities and security documentation.

In addition, Paul provides general corporate governance advice to companies and directors and assists companies with their annual compliance and statutory obligations under the Companies Act.

Paul provides advice to all organisations within, or who interact with, the education sector, including schools and academies (including free schools, alternative provision academies and university technology colleges), further education corporations and universities.

In relation to schools and academies, Paul has significant experience in providing advice to academy trusts on expansion through the sponsorship of other schools and re-brokering of existing academies (including advising trustees on their duties in connection with expansion), and major capital build projects. He also advises academies on compliance with the financial handbook and governance handbook, and on the establishment of trading subsidiaries and other group structures.

Within the maintained sector, Paul has advised on federation and de-federation issues, as well as the establishment of charitable companies providing opportunities for collaborative practice, shared learning and other professional development opportunities for clusters of schools.

Paul forges strong relationships with clients underpinned by his focus on making things happen. He has an excellent project management track record and an enviable breadth of knowledge in connection with DfE policy and cutting edge academy work.

Recent experience

• Advising a corporate client in relation to a $80,000,000 syndicated multicurrency banking facility involving group companies in 7 jurisdictions.
• Acting for both further and higher education institutions on term loan and revolving credit facilities totalling in excess of £45.5 million.
• Acting for a charity and one of the North East’s most visited tourist attractions on the restructuring of its banking facilities.
• Acting for a bank on the provision of acquisition finance in relation to the management buyout of a precision engineering company.
• Acting for a bank on the provision of development facilities for the construction of care homes.

Paul also provides advice to Further Education colleges on a whole range of matters including:

• The merger of further education colleges following the government’s area review process;
• The establishment of shared services companies and associated advice to governors;
• The establishment of trading subsidiaries and the acquisition of training providers by further education colleges;
• Large finance projects including development and working capital banking facilities;

Paul also advises universities on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters including:

• University spin-outs and subsequent venture capital fundraising;
• Banking and finance including significant term loan and development finance facilities;
• The establishment of university technology colleges and collaboration with schools and academies;
• Mergers and acquisitions within the sector (including advising on the disposal of a HE campus to a further education college);
• Advice on constitutional issues.