Alex Saunders

Partner
Corporate
Commercial
Education
Healthcare
Transport, Supply Chain & Logistics
Technology & Media
Manufacturing & Industrials
Professional Services
Retail, Hospitality & Leisure
Private Wealth
Landed Estates

Alex is Head of our Corporate and Commercial Team, dealing with a broad range of high-value and complex matters including acquisitions and disposals, employee share options and other corporate restructures.

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Alex advises on and assists with various corporate matters, including acquisitions and disposals, employee-ownership trusts, shareholders’ agreements, employee share options, corporate finance, and corporate restructuring. Alex has acted for clients on a number of high-value and complex acquisitions and disposals, mergers and management buy-outs, on both the buy and sell side.

Alex has a particular interest in working with early-stage and technology-based businesses and their founders, including assisting with debt finance arrangements and venture capital and equity investments. Alex also has extensive experience working on private equity-financed transactions and leveraged buyouts. In addition to the technology sector, Alex has acted on transactions in various other sectors, including care/healthcare, logistics, transport and professional services.

Outside of work, Alex has a passion for music and is a keen sportsman, including being a lifelong Arsenal fan, an enthusiastic (but not terribly successful) tennis player and a regular watcher of F1.

Reported deals:

A selection of other Corporate matters Alex has acted on include:

  • Acting on the sale of an agricultural merchant company to a large plc buyer in a deal worth approximately £14m.
  • Advising the shareholder of a regional care home group on a sale to a listed Real Estate Investment Trust in a deal worth in excess of £10m.
  • Advising the shareholders of a large regional care home operator on a sale to a national chain in a transaction worth in excess of £7.5m.
  • Assisting Angling Direct plc on its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange AIM list.
  • Advising the shareholders or management teams on various employee-ownership trust arrangements.
  • Graduated from the University of Sheffield – 2009
  • Completed his Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) at the University of East Anglia, with a distinction. During this time he was awarded the university’s Law Society prize for his performance on the GDL – 2012
  • Completed his Legal Practice Course at BBP in Cambridge, with a distinction – 2013
  • Trained with Leathes Prior, qualifying as a Solicitor – September 2016
  • Promoted to Senior Associate –  May 2019
  • Became a Partner – March 2021
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What our clients say

We work predominantly with Alex Saunders who has always provided us with a fantastic service.

Chris Wareham, Managing Director, Mash Staffing Limited

Just a quick email to say how pleased we have been with the quality of service that Alex Saunders and Jack Horwitz have provided in selling our business. They have at all times been efficient, professional and courteous, providing us with a top class service.

Client feedback

As a start up, we were keen to watertight our legal documents and processes in place. Unsure where to begin, following a consultation Leathes Prior guided us very clearly through every step necessary. Redrafting worker contracts, terms of business and privacy policies. Taking the time to fully grasp our set up and requirements means we now have tailored documents which meet our every need. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Client feedback

Alex, Jack and the team at Leathes Prior were extremely professional, efficient and supportive throughout the whole sale process. They went the extra mile to ensure that the shareholders fully understood the process, legal implications and the associated risks and worked tirelessly to ensure that the deal went through as smoothly as possible.

David Holland, Managing Director, Salix River & Wetland Services Limited

Leathes Prior did an excellent job acting for us during the sale. Their attention to detail, availability to help and sense of humour held us in good stead to ensure the right outcome in the right timeframe. Thanks, in particular, go to Alex and Jack for all their hard work, it was appreciated.

Sally Willson, Founder - Stellar Global

Alex Saunders, supported by the rest of the Corporate Team, have and continue to be on hand (and quite literally holding our hand!) through countless pieces of project work over the years. Alex's advice and support has ranged from locking key staff in to the business (through the implementation of EMI Share Scheme) to ensuring we are compliant with all DPA matters (health checking process and documentation for impending GDPR legislation), and everything and anything you can think of in-between these two matters. The project work is just part of the support we receive from Alex and the team are on hand day-in day-out 24/7 to assist with any question we have on so many matters. How would I sum things up? You send Alex an email, you get a reply. You phone Alex, he picks the phone up. You ask him a question, you get the answer PLUS thought provoking advice and pointers on other ways. Alex and the team are partners to Rent4sure, they are part of our business and we wouldn't be without them.

Tim O'Hara, Managing Director, Rent4Sure Ltd

When that once in a lifetime opportunity knocks, its essential to get it right. We did our groundwork, and on recommendation, we chose Leathes Prior. They did the job, above and beyond. If we had to do it all again I'd chose them, and we would recommend them to anyone with a business to sell. Our team (Alex Saunders, Jack Horwitz and Milan Pandit) was the A Team (A for advice, ability, accuracy, approach, and attitude). In my view, its essential to have the right people, have the full set of expertise on hand, and rely on their expertise to get you through the tough bits. Now we are all going to the races to celebrate!

Client feedback

We have looked at different succession options for some time. The most important thing for Canham Consulting is that the culture and values we work so hard at, continue to develop. The only way we could be sure of this, was to transition to an Employee-Owned business, and form an EOT. The EOT process requires true collaboration, and transparency. It was essential for us, that we surrounded ourselves with practical, pragmatic, and truly understanding legal support. Alex Saunders and Jack Horwitz have guided us through the EOT process and been an integral part of the team. Their knowledge and collaborative approach have made the process enjoyable for everyone. I cannot praise or recommend Leathes Prior high enough. Thank you for your support.

Rob Panter, Managing Director of Canham Consulting

Alex, Jack and the Leathes Prior Team were brilliant throughout, their knowledge and expertise was invaluable to enable this merger to happen. Thank you for all your help, we look forward to working with Leathes Prior again in the future.

The Directors of Stellar Global Ltd

I wish to confirm our thanks to Leathes Prior and in particular, Alex Saunders for the guidance and support provided, in the quest for ourselves and our member Clubs to understand and begin the process of compliance in respect to GDPR 2018. Alex presented and delivered in the most professional and knowledgeable way a very skilled pathway throughout the process, a hand-holding exercise of the first order. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending your services to other parties.

Mike Devlin, Secretary, Norfolk County Golf Limited

I just wanted to write to say a massive thank you for all your support throughout this process. It's never an easy process but I can definitely say that this deal was far easier than when I acquired the other business back in February this year. I really appreciated your succinct and commercial advice, taking a lot of decisions away from me and only focussing me on the bigger commercial and legal issues. It’s been a pleasure to work with you and once again Leathes Prior have been brilliant for me.

Client feedback

Thanks to Alex for stewarding this deal so professionally and speedily. We couldn't have got there without him and LP!

Gavin O'Reilly, Executive Chairman, The New European Ltd

Over the years that we have been working with Alex and the team at Leathes Prior, they have built up an in-depth understanding of how we do business and what is important to us as people. This was absolutely critical for us as we navigated through the process of being acquired and we truly felt they had our backs all the way. We developed great personal relationships with many of their team, which we hope will continue into the future. Thank you Alex and Team.

Dave Wilson, Managing Director of Tiger Eye Consulting Limited

I am delighted with the service provided by the team at Leathes Prior led by Alex. The legal advice was delivered at a practical level, helping me understand fully the process and implications at each step of the way. Really big thank you to Alex, Sam and the team in helping me through the acquisition process.

David Truby, Managing Director of Greensleeves Garden Care Limited

After a lifetime running businesses, and building YTKO Group to 100+ people and £7m turnover, I thought carefully about various exit and succession options for some time. Establishing an Employee Ownership Trust was the best way to ensure that our values endured for the next 40 years and that our dedicated team would be able to reap the rewards of their hard work, commitment, loyalty, and passion. Choosing the right professional advisors to help us through the process was essential. Alex, Nina, and the Corporate team were outstanding, not just in terms of the legal due process, but in how they supported us - swift and practical replies, often out of hours, great availability by phone/teams, a super attitude, and a real team push to get us over the line when we encountered a last-minute obstacle. They really felt like an integral part of our senior team. I would absolutely recommend them without reservation.

Bev Hurley, CBE, Chief Executive, YTKO Group

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Alex Saunders

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