Chris HallinanPartner

I have specialised in advising professional services firms and other businesses structured as partnerships or LLPs (including hedge funds and private equity houses) for over 10 years.

I am recognised in Chambers and Legal 500 as a rising star for non-contentious partnership work. I am described in Chambers as 'a master of the detail', being 'excellent' and 'greatly valued by clients for indispensable work' and having 'brilliant legal gravitas', and described in Legal 500 as 'particularly valued' for my 'skills in drafting and structuring partnership and LLP arrangements' and 'making complex matters straightforward'.

Professional services firms and Partnerships & LLPs

My core practice is focused on working closely with senior management at UK and international professional services firms, financial services firms and other owner-led / people businesses on a broad range of non-contentious issues, including strategic transactions and projects, governance and constitutional arrangements, UK and international structuring and regulatory issues, commercial agreements, funding arrangements and partner matters (including profit sharing, performance management, restrictive covenants and other business protection issues). I am also experienced in advising on negotiated and contentious partner exits and related issues.

My specialist expertise includes advising on:

• The structuring and drafting of governance and constitutional arrangements for LLPs, partnerships and companies limited by guarantee.
• UK and international mergers and acquisitions, disposals and restructurings.
• The formation of professional services firms and other LLP businesses.
• LLP conversions.
• International structuring, including the opening and regulation of overseas offices and practices.
• Strategic projects, including remuneration models, business protection issues and succession planning.
• SRA, IPReg, ICAEW, FRC, Law Society of Scotland and international regulatory and structuring issues (including new firm authorisation and change of control approvals).
• Partner issues, including investigations and negotiated and contentious exits.
• The structuring and drafting of litigation finance arrangements.

Member organisations

The broad scope of my core practice is further diversified by my work advising membership organisations structured as companies limited by guarantee on corporate and governance issues (including formation, drafting and application of constitutional documents, member admissions and exits) and key strategic projects and commercial arrangements.

I am a member of the Association of Partnership Practitioners and sit as a member of the Up and Coming Committee.