PwC Lead Advisory team advises Stowe Family Law on its sale to Investcorp
The PwC Lead Advisory team is pleased to announce the sale of Stowe Family Law, the largest specialist family law firm in the United Kingdom, to Investcorp, a leading global alternative investment firm. The transaction represents a successful exit for Livingbridge, which has backed Stowe Family Law in its growth journey since 2017.
Based in Leeds, the company was founded by Marilyn Stowe in 1982 and has quickly grown into one of the leading technology-enabled family law firms in the UK. Spanning practice areas such as divorce, cohabitation, financial settlements, child law, mediation, nuptial agreements, surrogacy, adoption, and international family law, the firm has more than doubled over the past two years. It now operates from 90 locations across the United Kingdom, with nearly 400 staff supporting 5,000 clients a year.
This sale is part of Stowe Family Law’s wider growth strategy to continue the development of its 5-year Stowe 3.0 plan. The firm’s ambition is to serve more than 10,000 clients by March 2029 and to offer more holistic support to families going through the challenges of change.
PwC acted as lead financial adviser to the shareholders of Stowe Family Law, providing Corporate Finance, Debt & Capital Advisory, Vendor Commercial Due Diligence, and Data Insights & Analytics advice. This landmark transaction highlights PwC’s position as one of the leading financial advisors in the professional and legal advisory sector.
The PwC Corporate Finance team advising on the deal included Charlotte Tracy, Malcolm Wren, Iffy Hussein, James Walker, Raza Zaidi, Mansoor Akber Dars, and Anam Khan.
The PwC Debt & Capital Advisory team advising on the deal included Richard Siddall, Ben Johnson, Pavan Mohan, and Dev Ibrahim.
The PwC Data Insights & Analytics team advising on the deal included Dan Stott, James Fellows, Harry Dobson, Ed Boughton, and Heather Walton.
PwC also provided Vendor Commercial Due Diligence in connection with the transaction led by Max Livingstone-Learmonth, Jacqueline Windsor, Charles Michalowski-Cummings, Rachel Sayers, and Kieran Dabrowski.
“The PwC team supported us across a number of fronts in delivering a very successful outcome for shareholders. The team was drawn from a number of different functional areas within PwC, including corporate finance, debt advisory and data analytics, but it always felt very much like one team with their service very well integrated. The team worked with us to articulate clearly where we win through their understanding of our business, purpose, culture and growth levers. This allowed them to select and introduce us to a wide variety of credible potential equity and debt partners when we decided to market the business. The team was considered, calm and professional at all times and built a good rapport with our internal team. We are pleased that we selected them to support us for this stage of our journey.”
“PwC's Lead Advisory team demonstrated an exceptional understanding of Stowe Family Law's business, purpose, and growth ambitions. Their comprehensive approach, leveraging their sector expertise to present a compelling investment proposition and ability to access the right potential investors, was instrumental in guiding us through this pivotal transaction. We are delighted with the transaction outcome and confident that Stowe Family Law will continue to thrive under Investcorp's ownership.”
“We are delighted to have advised Stowe Family Law team and Livingbridge on this landmark transaction. Under Livingbridge’s ownership, Stowe Family Law has established itself as the market leader in family law, with an efficient, differentiated operating model and a compelling proposition for its clients and employees alike. With Investcorp's backing, Stowe Family Law is well-positioned to continue its impressive growth trajectory and achieve the next stage of its growth ambitions.”
“This transaction is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Stowe Family Law team and the strategic vision of Livingbridge. We are pleased to have played a role in facilitating this successful exit and look forward to seeing Stowe Family Law continue to thrive under Investcorp's ownership. This deal highlights PwC's commitment to delivering exceptional advisory services in the professional and legal advisory sector.”
Contact us
Partner, Head of Yorkshire & North East Corporate Finance, PwC United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)759 585 0085
