Locations
The Fieldfisher team was led by Neil Palmer, Partner, with Tamsin Nicholds, Senior Associate, advising on employee ownership matters and Bethany Walters, Senior Associate, providing the corporate transactional support.
100% of the shareholding is now held by an employee-ownership trust for the benefit of employees, however business will be very much as usual with the directors remaining with the practices. The move to employee ownership comes after a successful 2020 for both practices, with HLM Architects being named Architectural Practice of the Year in the Building Awards 2020 award which recognises market adaptability, sustainability and customer satisfaction, and Llewelyn Davies being appointed Lead Architect for the design of the new 'Our Hospital ' project in Jersey.
Commenting on the transition Richard O’Neil, Chairman HLM Architects said:
"We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Fieldfisher team who provided help and advice against a background of unprecedented conditions. We are all delighted with the outcome which sets us up for future opportunities. The move to employee ownership reflects the principles of collaboration and sustainability which we hold dear and we are excited about the future as an employee-owned enterprise."
Deb Oxley, Chief Executive of the EOA, said:
“We congratulate HLM Architects and Llewelyn Davies, and its employee owners, on their move to employee ownership with the support of law firm Fieldfisher.
“By making this move, the Group is securing its values, ethos and independence for the longer term, to the benefit of the employees, the business and the regional economy.”
Neil Palmer, Partner, Fieldfisher adds:
"It was a privilege to help bring HLM Architects and Llewelyn Davies to full employee ownership and we congratulate the whole team. The employee ownership model is a clear winner for businesses who want to reward their workforce for going the extra mile in last year's difficult conditions and motivate them for the challenges ahead, by seeing employees become beneficiaries of the trust and stakeholders in the business. Providing the right ownership structure for businesses and shaping a strong employee ownership ethos is a significant step in building a great business. We wish HLM Architects and Llewelyn Davies the best of luck in moving forward into the next phase of their development"