Hayleigh Southgate is an associate solicitor in the corporate and commercial team with a focus on company law and business acquisitions and disposals. 

Hayleigh advises business on all aspects of corporate and commercial law and transactions, including the preparation of key company documentation such as shareholders’ agreements and articles of association, business reorganisations, private company mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, and refinancing transactions. 

In addition to practising law, Hayleigh previously worked as lecturer before joining Russell-Cooke in 2025. 

• Advised on multiple transactions with a combined value approaching £60 million ahead of the 2025-26 tax year-end, navigating accelerated deal timetables driven by Business Asset Disposal Relief changes and wider tax policy uncertainty. (Covered by Solicitors Journal here.)

• Advised the shareholders of Airbench Ltd, a specialist manufacturer of industrial dust, fume and mist extraction systems, on the cross-border sale of the business to Swedish technology group Amplex Indu AB.

• Read law at the University of Southampton, graduating with First Class Honours.

• Completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law in 2014, obtaining a Distinction.

• Trained at a Top 100 law firm and qualified as a solicitor in 2016. 

• Obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education teaching in 2022. 

• Member of The Law Society of England and Wales.