7 February – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Liverpool’s leading law firm Brabners Chaffe Street, has hired a former professional rugby player to add financial muscle to its team of corporate advisors.
His appointment marks a further expansion of the corporate finance team at the firm’s Liverpool office.
Mr Fowler – who once played professional rugby alongside England captains Will Carling, Martin Johnson and Martin Corry – offers further strength to the law firm’s growing corporate finance arm.
Denise Walker, head of Brabners’ corporate department, said: “Having such a strong team of accountants working alongside us here is unique and is working very, very well.”
Mr Fowler’s role within the corporate department is part of a unique strategy developed by Brabners’ Liverpool office to offer a corporate finance arm to the firm’s leading corporate law services.
It means that the firm – working on major corporate acquisitions, disposals and transactions – has the benefit of offering both the lead advisory and legal services required in these deals in-house.
Mrs Walker added: “Above all, we feel that Liverpool needs more quality corporate finance lead advisors to keep the market strong, as there are in Manchester.
“If, in helping fill that need, people of John’s calibre can also work alongside our own legal teams and add value to what we do, then all the better.”
Mr Fowler, a former Sale Sharks and England ‘A’ lock, said having a team of corporate finance advisors on board assisted the Dale Street firm in stimulating business in Liverpool.
“Working alongside the corporate law team, and being able to offer both the necessary legal and financial services at the outset of any deal, gives us a unique fully integrated service which is of considerable benefit for a lot of our clients.
“But on top of that, it also means we are around to spark deals within the city, which is just not possible from an office located outside Liverpool.
The corporate finance offering within Merseyside had diminished with the withdrawal of this service from the major accountancy firms in Liverpool.
Brabners’ vision started to re-vitalise corporate finance in the city and the firm now finds itself, along with the Steve Stuart Partnership, one of the strongest players in a niche but expanding market.
“As there are two sides to any deal, that means we are generating work for other firms and generally keeping more of the city’s business within Liverpool,” added Mr Fowler.
“As we expand we are keen to see this continue and look to work with Liverpool accountants to meet the needs of businesses in Liverpool.”
Mr Fowler, who joins as a corporate finance associate from national accountancy firm PKF, joins fellow associate David Wilkinson and corporate finance director David Houghton.
