Mike Freer

Mike is a partner in our private equity team, with a particular focus on advising founders and management teams in relation to buy-outs, buy-ins, equity release deals and their subsequent exits.

Mike leads Osborne Clarke's specialist Management Advisory Group, which brings together a cross-discipline group of expert senior lawyers experienced in advising founders and management teams on private equity transactions.

Mike's clients are often founders, owner-managers, company boards and chairs, but he also advises institutional investors and has experience on all sides of private equity transactions.

Mike has a particular focus on the ICT and managed services sectors, having advised many of the leading platforms (including Focus Group, Southern Communications, Wavenet, Connect and Babble) on their private equity backed transactions.

Thank you and your team for the hard work and measured and thoughtful guidance. Don’t under-estimate how important that is – when you are in the thick of it, it’s very good to know that people like you are around.

Simon Baggs, CEO, Incopro, sold to Astorg-backed Corsearch, 2021

Helping you succeed in tomorrow's world

I recognise that private equity transactions are often complex and fast-paced, but they ultimately revolve around people and relationships – whether that is a founder handing control of a company they built from the ground up to an investor, or a management team forging a relationship with an unfamiliar new investor as an existing backer exits.  I believe in putting people at the centre of transactions and supporting their needs through challenging processes.

My clients are the senior leaders of their businesses and industries, and I understand they need experienced, partner-led advice from a highly responsive team that has been there before.

From the beginning to the (late night!) end of the sales process, I felt that we were in safe hands with the team at Osborne Clarke. Their collective experience in the private equity space, coupled with an attentive and knowledgeable approach, meant we could focus on the commercial demands of the transaction, knowing that the Osborne Clarke team had our backs.

James Tye, CEO, Dennis Publishing, sold to Exponent, 2018