Russell-Cooke solicitors Southampton office.

About Peter

I am a lawyer that understands numbers and accounts – I like accounts, and accounting principles – and that gets me to the core of a deal. I have many years of experience helping clients build their business, raise finance, buy business, and sell them.

Peter’s client base is primarily within the tech sector; however he has significant experience in joint ventures and LLPs as well as in some general transactional corporate work.

Typically, his tech sector clients are serial entrepreneurs, who acquire, develop, raise finance, issue EMI shares, and enter into shareholders agreements as well as sell and reinvest. Often they have a secondary management team, who often go on and become serial entrepreneurs. Peter brings over 20 years of specialised experience to deals undertaken in the tech sector.  

The vast majority of clients that Peter works for have engaged in repeat business with some relationships spanning ten, 20 and even 20 plus years. Peter excels in client relationships, as clients recognise that he is unequivocally on their side and will do the upmost to achieve his clients’ desired outcomes.

An additional area of expertise is restructuring and insolvency. During the early 1990s, Peter dedicated several years to this field, and in 2010, his invaluable experience in handling financial challenges proved beneficial as many of his clients faced difficulties.

Peter Jeffery is a well-regarded corporate lawyer at Russell-Cooke with a focus on transactions in the technology sector. He has a strong track record of acting on M&A and restructuring matters.
Chambers UK (2024)

Experience

Peter has run at least of 50 deals within the tech sector. A significant 70% of his clients have maintained a working relationship with him for over a decade. While the majority of Peter's work involves transactions, typically falling within the £5m-£25m range, he has also handled many deals in the £30m-£60m bracket, with some exceeding this.

Peter joined Russell-Cooke in 2023 having been a partner at Moore Barlow since 1998. After its merger in 2020, Peter led the business division (corporate, employment and commercial) for the latter three years of his tenure. Prior to this, Peter was a partner at Pitmans. 

Notable work

  • Sale to PE (with reinvestment by management team) circa £15m
  • Purchase of minority shareholder in a tech business by raising PE finance circa £3m
  • Several sales of 40% (with an option to acquire 60%). One was an IT business – this has now fully exited for £20m
  • Several shareholder disputes in relation to IT businesses, including a buy out of a 50% shareholder in an IT business, and another 30% buyout.
  • Acquisition for a buy and build IT group circa £8m
  • Sale to trade (with partial reinvestment) circa £10m
  • Various EMI option schemes, shareholders agreements and other similar work
  • Several £100m+ transactions 

Memberships

  • Longstanding committee member of the ‘Russell-Cooke Silicone Cup Regatta’ (an IT networking event that raises funds for charities taking place on UK waters) which marries Peter’s IT sector expertise with his passion for sailing. 

Peter's highlights

News

26.09.2024

Wind in its sails: Russell-Cooke celebrates the success of the 2024 Silicon Cup Regatta

Russell-Cooke proudly served as the principal sponsor of the Silicon Cup Regatta, the UK’s largest IT networking event on water, held...
Peter Jeffery Russell-Cooke Solicitors staff photograph. Silhouette of a female team member against the backdrop of an office window and corridor with a soft focus effect. Marc Shelvin Oliver Ward
Multiple Authors
1 min Read
Peter Jeffery, Anna West, Marc Shevlin, Oliver Ward
News

01.08.2024

Setting sail for charity: The Russell-Cooke Silicon Cup Regatta

The Silicon Cup Regatta, now named after principal sponsor Russell-Cooke, is set to embark from the Solent, Portsmouth, on 17...
Peter Jeffery Russell-Cooke Solicitors staff photograph. Silhouette of a female team member against the backdrop of an office window and corridor with a soft focus effect. Marc Shelvin Oliver Ward
Multiple Authors
1 min Read
Peter Jeffery, Anna West, Marc Shevlin, Oliver Ward
News

17.01.2024

Russell-Cooke advises on sale of pioneering developer of autonomous marine vessels

Russell-Cooke’s corporate and commercial team recently advised SEA-KIT International, a leading provider of high technology uncrewed vessel solutions to the...
Peter Jeffery
Peter Jeffery
1 min Read
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Awards and accreditations