Bill Fowler

Expertise

Bill a highly experienced corporate and commercial lawyer. Qualified under both English and Scots law, he has 3 decades of experience under his belt both in private practice and in-house.

Bill has worked in-house in the technology, energy and retail sectors. He has been a partner is a number of private practice firms ranging in size from local, to national and latterly in the world’s largest law firm.

Alongside his role as a gunnercooke partner Bill acts as General Counsel of three well known retail businesses: Sigma Sports, Le Chameau and Bradshaw Taylor. These roles give him a deep understanding of the retail sector, the operation of global supply chains and the commercial/regulatory landscape that businesses operating internationally have to navigate.

This diversity of experience enables Bill to provide advice that is which is pragmatic and commercially focused. He applies the black letter law in a real world context.

Bill’s corporate/commercial expertise is broad and spans M&A, joint ventures, venture capital, private equity and commercial contracts. From a sector perspective he has particular expertise in the retail and clean energy sectors.

Bill Advises

• Corporates (companies, LLPs, LPs and JVs)
• Company directors and Boards
• Investors
• Private individuals
• Retail brands
• Clean energy technology companies and project developers

Experience Highlights

M&A and Joint Ventures

• Lead corporate partner advising Pertamina, the Indonesian National Oil Company, on its proposed acquisition of one of the world’s largest onshore oil fields from Chevron. A 6 month project that involved over a month of face to face negotiations in Jakarta.
• Lead corporate partner advising a leading international oil company on a restructuring of its interests in a UK joint venture relating to a UK oil refinery including all negotiations with the super-major JV partner and with international counsel in relation to complex issues relating to sanctions and change of control/pre-emption provisions in the joint venture documentation.
• Advised Bradshaw Taylor on its acquisition of a significant equity shareholding in Le Chameau Holdings Limited, owner and manufacturer of the Le Chameau luxury brand boots and footwear, from private equity firm Marwyn. Led a multi-jurisdiction team across the UK, France and Morocco.
• Advised Bradshaw Taylor on its acquisition of the Sherpa Adventure Gear brand on a global basis.
• Advised Sigma Sports, the UKs premier online and in-store cycling and multisport destination, on the sale of a minority equity stake to Primary Capital.
• Advising on the sale, via an Isle of Man SPV, of a UK portfolio of industrial properties to Liberty, a US-listed property fund for £111 million.
• Advised Land Securities on its £141 million acquisition of the Overgate Shopping Centre, Dundee from Lend Lease and the subsequent disposal of the Centre to Legal & General.
• Advised Peel Group on the creation of the 20-year, £120 million James Watt Dock joint venture with Riverside Inverclyde for the regeneration of the James Watt Dock area in Greenock, Scotland.
• Advised on the development financing by Sir Robert McAlpine in relation to the Park Quadrant, Glasgow residential property development and the subsequent refinancing and joint venture arrangements with Roundshield and Ambassador Developments.

Energy Projects

• Advising a developer of a 30MW energy recovery facility in NE Scotland in respect of its seed and HNW funding round, feedstock supply contracts, project finance and EPC contract procurement.
• Advised the developer of a 1.1MW anaerobic digestion facility on a dairy farm on all corporate, financing and commercial contract arrangements for the development of the project. Negotiated all feedstock (slurry/silage) supply, digestate offtake, heat off-take and private wire electricity supply arrangements, finance agreements and associated step-in arrangements.
• Advising a family farming business in respect of the proposed development of a 40MW ground mounted solar project in Hampshire.
• Advising on the development and financing of a battery storage project linked to an adjacent solar PV project including advising in relation to the private wire supply arrangements with the Solar PV project.
• European Marine Energy Centre: Advised in relation to the commercial arrangements with Naval Group to deliver the innovative Microsoft Natick underwater data storage project. Also advised EMEC in relation to multiple commercial matters and wave and tide test berth arrangements with numerous wave and tidal developers using its Orkney facilities.
• Advised on the Scots law aspects of a proposed listed green bond fundraising in Stockholm to fund further development of the MeyGen tidal stream project in the Pentland Firth, the world’s first commercial tidal array.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• Dentons, Partner 2017–22
• Maclay Murray & Spens, Partner 2013–17
• Semple Fraser, Partner 2005–13
• Archibald Campbell & Harley WS, Partner 2001–05
• MacRoberts, Assistant, Associate/Senior Associate 1993–2000

Memberships 

• Law Society of Scotland
• Law Society of England & Wales

Education

• University of Glasgow LLB Hons, DipLP
• Robert Gordon University, PGCert Oil & Gas Law (Distinction)