Public Offerings

Converting your business from a privately owned company to one in which the public car invest, is a complex process that can only be navigated with the help of specialist advisors. This is particularly true where your chosen route to becoming a plc is to apply to be listed on the London Stock Exchange where you will need the support of a sponsor, and underwriter, a lawyer, a broker and a reporting accountant.

Fortunately, at IMD Corporate our corporate solutions lawyers are experts when it comes to stock exchange work and have a proven track record in helping companies achieve listed status — in most cases for a fixed fee.

Our service includes everything you will need from a legal perspective as you transition to a public company, from help in organising our affairs to ensure you meet the entry requirements for acceptance onto the official list, to assisting with the preparation of the paperwork you will need to make your initial public offering (IPO).

How we can help

Our lawyers can help you to achieve a successful floatation by:

• providing advice on the London Stock Exchange Listing Rules and on the demands of the Financial Services and Markets Act in so far as they apply;
• carrying out an audit of your business to identify the changes you will need to make to your legal structure and financial and management arrangements to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations;
• working alongside your other advisors to ensure that the application process proceeds smoothly — acting as project lead if required;
• liaising with the UK financial market regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority;
• undertaking legal due diligence to identify and address matters that might act as a barrier to acceptance of your admission request, such as an ongoing competition and anti-trusts investigation, gaps in your arrangements for intellectual property protection or one or more unresolved contract disputes;
• facilitating any corporate or company restructuring which is necessary to reorganise your share capital or bring important assets within your control;
• reviewing key agreements and commercial contracts to ensure they accord with the enhanced financial and management requirements applicable to plcs;
• redrafting your corporate governance and compliance rules to ensure they are sufficiently robust;
• helping you to prepare your investor prospectus;
• supporting your underwriter in making roadshow presentations; and
• drafting your IPO notice.

Working alongside our employment and commercial law colleagues, we can also help to create and structure employee share schemes which you intend to make available as part of your initial public offering, as well as revising the procedure by which directors’ remuneration will be set to ensure reasonableness and transparency.