Blog
Anatomy of a deal - The 9-step guide to selling your business part 3
John Young
John is a partner in the Corporate, Commercial, and Finance team, specialising in the business needs of entrepreneurial, high-growth, and family businesses. He advises them throughout their lifecycle, from start-up through to listing and beyond.
He specialises in M&A and fundraisings, with a particular focus on M&A transactions in the £5m-100m enterprise value range and private and capital markets fundraises between £500,000 and £20m, often with a cross-border element.
John can advise on a wide variety of corporate matters, including:
- Acquisitions and disposals of businesses, both in the UK and internationally.
- Private and public equity fundraising, including through the EIS and SEIS schemes, venture capital, private fundraisings, and listings, as well as secondary fundraisings on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, AIM, and Aquis Exchange.
- Business structuring and restructuring.
- Joint ventures and shareholder agreements.
- Fund structuring and documentation.
- Non-contentious FCA regulatory issues.
- LLP and partnership issues, including drafting and negotiation of complex control and remuneration structures in LLP agreements.
- Shareholder and partnership disputes.
John also advises on the UK regulatory treatment of cryptocurrencies and assists with fundraising via initial coin offerings. He is a member of the firm’s crypto assets group.
John prides himself on being focused on what is commercially important to his clients, responsive, and innovative. He takes the time to learn about his clients’ businesses and the key issues they face, enabling him to develop effective and efficient solutions. John has a track record of providing wrap around care, working as a team to achieve the best possible results not only during significant capital events but also in their day-to-day business and personal matters.
Additionally, John leads Kingsley Napley’s international network programme.
John is listed by The Legal 500 as a key lawyer in the team for Corporate Commercial M&A: Smaller Deals, up to £50M. He is ranked 'Top Recommended' in Spears best corporate lawyers for 2024 and also listed as a 'Top Recommended' Corporate Lawyer for 2022 in Spear's 500 and ranked in Spear's top corporate lawyers index for 2023.
What clients and directories say
John is listed by The Legal 500 a key lawyer in the team for Corporate Commercial M&A: Smaller Deals, up to £50M.
John is also listed as Top Recommended Corporate Lawyer 2022 in Spear's 500.
Recent Work
- the sale of a minority stake in a food processing business to a Turkish trade buyer
- the sale of a Central European medical device testing business to a private equity fund for cash and shares
- advising a buy-and-build project on fundraising, including relevant regulatory issues, and subsequent industry acquisitions
- advising a UK tech-based project in the residential property industry on its structure and fundraising, including relevant regulatory issues such as financial promotions issues and a collective investment schemes/alternative investment fund analysis
- the sale of a substantial cleaning and security business to a trade buyer
- advising an LSE Main Market listed company on its reverse takeover by an overseas education business
- the management buy-out of a regulated financial advisor
- the sale of an innovative UK technology to a NASDAQ listed US buyer for entirely share consideration
- restructuring of a formerly FTSE 250 company following its de-listing
- onshoring of UK properties formerly held in non-UK companies
- restructuring of a care home business to separate out non-trading assets as a precursor to a sale process
- advising a special purpose acquisition vehicle targeting downstream oil opportunities on its admission to the standard segment of the Official List and the LSE’s Main Market
- advising a secured lending business on its admission to AIM and connected fundraising
Professional societies and memberships
- EIS Association
- Law Society
- Quoted Companies Alliance
PUBLICATIONS, PRESS HIGHLIGHTS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- Selling your business: Six steps to maximise price, SME, April 2025
- A 9-Step Guide To Selling Your Business, Tech Round, April 2024
