Senior Solicitor - Employee Share Schemes
Abby is a senior solicitor specialising in Harper James’ employee share schemes team, with a strong background in corporate law and transactions.
She qualified as a solicitor in 2007 after training with global law firm DLA Piper, where she went on to spend six years in the Leeds-based Corporate team. Before joining Harper James in 2015, she also worked at a leading regional law firm.
Abby’s broader corporate experience gives her a strong understanding of the wider business and shareholder issues that can sit alongside employee share arrangements.
Abby’s work has included EMI share schemes, mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, joint ventures, partnerships and group reorganisations. She also has experience advising on:
Her experience across both transactional and governance matters means she understands how ownership, investment and corporate structure can affect the way businesses put share arrangements in place.
Before joining Harper James, Abby built her career across both international and regional law firms, advising on a wide range of corporate matters for different types of businesses.
Outside work, Abby is a keen runner and has completed marathons and half marathons. More recently, she has added cycling and swimming to her training and is looking forward to taking part in future races and triathlons.
TESTIMONIALS
Choosing Harper James was the best decision we made during this process. At one point, we felt stuck and struggled with providing certain documentation. Brigitta and the team knew how to explain what was needed and suddenly the process became much clearer. The guidance we received helped us avoid unnecessary delays and expenses. It made all the difference.
Steve Carrod Co-Founder, DMPG
We are very happy with Harper James. Great response time and top-quality work. We've worked mostly with Callum, Abby and Chetna - they are all amazing! We were organising an investment round recently and Callum was there for us all the time. This makes us feel confident - Harper James is a true partner for us.
Stefan Skorchev Founder & CEO, 7 of D Limited
Abby got the job done in line with expectations. No dramas! I have used Harper James with several companies and for a range of legal topics. They generally provide good service at a very reasonable price point. They have a good understanding of growing technology companies.
Matthew Dreaper Co-Founder and CFO, Helix Technologies
Abby and the corporate team at Harper James Solicitors provided excellent support guiding the business through what was quite a complex process at each stage.
Nigel Bacon Chairman, Kobus Services
We are a small company and the process of setting up a company share scheme was pretty daunting. Abby Watson and Harper James Solicitors provided expert advice to ensure we understood the process and drafted all relevant documentation. We were very impressed with the service received and would recommend the firm to others.
Julie Robinson CEO, Move It or Lose It
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