Mergers and acquisitions

1

Business strategy and analysis
- Why do businesses acquire other businesses?
- Potential drawbacks of acquiring other companies
- Internal growth: exporting, franchising and licensing
- Strategic commercial challenges
- Supply and demand
- QUIZ ~ business strategy and analysis
2

Key commercial law principles
- Introduction to contractual relationships
- Overview of key contractual terms
- Security
- Allocation of risk
- Insolvency
- QUIZ ~ commercial law principles
3

Financing and valuing a business
- Valuing a business
- Financing a business
- QUIZ ~ Financing and valuing a business
4

Profitability and financial accounts
- Analysing profitability
- Financial accounts
- Strategies to control or reduce costs
- QUIZ ~ profitability and financial accounts
5

The M&A process
- Introduction to the M&A process
- Key parties involved in acquisitions
- Private equity and venture capital
- Share purchase vs. asset purchase
- Buyer protection
- Incentivising key employees to remain at the target company
- The negotiation process
- Competition clearance
- QUIZ ~ The M&A Process
6

Further reading
- Recommended resources
- Commercial Law Handbook
- Training Contract Handbook
- Investment Banking Handbook
- LinkedIn networking group

City Career Series Founder & Ex-Freshfields Lawyer

Jake Schogger

Jake Schogger is a qualified lawyer, career coach, entrepreneur, author, copywriter and consultant. He is the founder and CEO of City Career Series, a publishing company that has sold ~50,000 handbooks designed to help students secure City careers, including the critically acclaimed Commercial Law Handbook. He trained at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and now acts as a legal adviser to start-ups and scale-ups, whilst also working as a career coach and delivering career-related presentations at universities across the UK. In addition, Jake works with tech start-ups and runs a variety of his own businesses, including a creative/commercial consultancy (Fresh Perspective) and a luxury cake business (Whisk & Drizzle). For more information, visit: www.citycareerseries.com and www.linkedin.com/groups/8944518 or search for “City Career Series” on YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Podcaster & Baker McKenzie Trainee

Harry Clark

Harry Clark, future Baker McKenzie Trainee Solicitor, is best known as the host of the More From Law podcast, an employability and commercial awareness podcast that has accumulated tens of thousands of streams to date. He also produces comprehensive resources for aspiring lawyers, including a broad range of articles, e-books and other content designed to help increase access to the legal profession. For more information, visit harryclarklaw.com, search @harryclarklaw across social media and connect with Harry on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/harryclarklaw

Influencer & Future Vinson & Elkins Trainee

Joe Mallet

Joe Mallet is an incoming trainee solicitor at global US law firm Vinson & Elkins, having previously secured five vacation schemes. He’s best known for his free LinkedIn commercial law resources group, in which he pools his best advice, resources and template application answers, all of which are based on the lessons he’s learned throughout his journey from student to lawyer. For more information, search for ‘Joe Mallet Resources for Aspiring Lawyers’ on LinkedIn and connect with Joe via www.linkedin.com/in/jm16328

Influencer & Baker McKenzie Future Trainee

Gordon Chung

LinkedIn personality Gordon Chung is a future trainee solicitor at Baker McKenzie. He completed his Bachelor of Laws degree at City University of Hong Kong before obtaining his postgraduate Master of Corporate Law degree at University of Cambridge. Recently, Gordon also passed the July 2019 New York state bar examination and is currently awaiting admission as a New York attorney-at-law.

Womble Bond Dickinson Future Trainee

Simranjeet Mann

Simranjeet Kaur Mann is a future trainee solicitor at Womble Bond Dickinson, having received three training contract offers after finishing university. She has amassed an impressive range of work experience, having completed three vacation schemes, undertaken three paralegal roles, attended four assessment centres and briefly worked at a “Big 4” accounting firm. She’s passionate about increasing diversity across, and access to the legal profession, which has led to her offering regular guidance to aspiring solicitors via her Instagram page and her (light-hearted yet informational) YouTube channel, ‘Sim’s Legal Mentoring’.