Adrian
Moss

Adrian is a Senior Associate in our Corporate Team, known for his private equity and M&A work.  Most of his work is “essentially the buying and selling of businesses” – private equity investments and disposals, typical mergers and acquisitions and a fair chunk of international work.  The difference lies in the types of clients involved in each transaction and Adrian has a great deal of experience in the food and drink and manufacturing industries.

A typical client for Adrian is generally a private equity house or their platform company, but he also acts for trade buyers and sellers, as well as individuals on the sale of businesses they’ve developed over a long period of time.

Seeing a transaction through from start to finish and knowing the clients are happy with the outcome is the most rewarding part of Adrian’s work and, he says, “we have great relationships with our PE client base. It’s a great feeling knowing we’re their first port of call when they need some advice or want to embark on a new transaction and need legal advisers to help them with that process”.

Asked to describe his approach to client work, Adrian says, “for these transactions to go well, you need to be able to get along with all stakeholders and you need to be available. I try to ensure we have a strong working relationship from the outset”.

“I enjoy what I do and I’ve got the support I need to do it”

Adrian notes that balancing competing deadlines and different workstreams is not always easy, but his ability to prioritise and organised way of working means that he can juggle the necessary plates. “It’s also important to know what you don’t know and to feel confident to seek out the relevant support – whether from your own team or other teams across the firm”. This collaborative approach means his clients always get the right expertise for the job.

Adrian understands that “in this industry, there’s no replacement for getting your head around the detail and really understanding the issue, even if that means the occasional late night” and he’s not afraid of “getting my hands dirty”.

Asked about life at Walker Morris, Adrian says, “it’s a great set up that works. I enjoy what I do and I’ve got the support I need to do it”.

Adrian is involved in mentoring and training junior members of the team and has an “open door” policy. He also firmly believes in down time and often leads the charge when it comes to social events.