GL is a provider of educational assessments to schools and LEAs in the UK as well as private schools and groups internationally. The company is a leading provider of ability and attainment assessments, using the power of those assessments, combined with the data and reports it generates for its customers, to improve the educational outlook for children across the world.
We have provided support for this PE-backed business since 2007. Their FD was not completely happy with the levels of service and fees that he was getting from the business’s incumbent law firm and knew RM could provide a better service and value for money.
That started a relationship which has continued through two changes of PE ownership. We have acted as in-house counsel for GL, assisting with their day-to-day commercial and corporate requirements. We also extensively supported the management team in the company’s recent exit to Renaissance Learning Inc. in March 2023.
On the commercial side, we have assisted with publishing agreements, IP development agreements, international distribution agreements, customer contracts and GDPR issues.
We have also helped them with a large digitisation programme – shifting the taking of assessments online – and supported their international expansion via distribution agreements.
Importantly for GL, they know they can call on us whenever they need help, as if we were an in-house resource. The nature of this relationship means we have a great understanding of all aspects of their business, so we’re better at giving advice in context.
We have assisted with numerous bolt-on acquisitions and disposals and advised on other day-to-day issues such as banking facilities and Co-Sec services.
There have also been two changes of ownership, where we have worked alongside the large law firms who were engaged by the PE owners:
Because we have excellent knowledge of the day-to-day operation of the business and its legal issues, these firms have relied on us heavily during the due diligence processes.
“Roxburgh Milkins have provided us with an invaluable service over many years, supporting us in critical commercial areas, where we don’t have in-house legal counsel. RM have been pivotal in providing clear and well-structured legal advice on a range of issues from contract negotiations to Intellectual Property considerations. RM have also supported us extensively in Company Secretarial work, easing the administrative and reporting burdens on share capital reporting and stock issuing. Using RM for many day to day legal issues and reserving the use of bigger ‘City firms’ for bigger transformational events is a strategy that has really worked well for us.”
Alastair Brooks, CFO
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