Alastair Manning

Senior Associate

Areas of Expertise

Alastair is a Senior Associate in Devonshires' Corporate team specialising in private M&A, shareholder arrangements and corporate restructurings. He advises entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, management teams and investors on share and asset sales, private equity-backed transactions and demergers, with particular experience in sell-side transactions and in advising independent financial adviser and wealth management businesses - an area in which Devonshires has an established market presence.

His work frequently involves transaction structuring, deferred consideration and earn-out mechanisms, shareholder governance and incentive arrangements. He has also advised on distressed acquisitions, including pre-pack administration sales, and on cross-border restructurings involving multiple jurisdictions.

Alastair leads transactions from inception through to completion, with a track record spanning IFA consolidation, technology M&A, modular housing and broadcasting sectors. He is known for his technical rigour, commercial judgement and ability to maintain momentum on complex or time-sensitive transactions.

Experience

Before qualifying, Alastair gained experience in real estate finance at Mishcon de Reya and Taylor Wessing. He qualified as a Solicitor in 2018, having trained at a full service regional firm. He subsequently worked at Trowers & Hamlins in Bahrain before joining Devonshires from a boutique commercial practice in the West End of London. 

Education

  • Qualified Solicitor (admitted 2018)
  • Kaplan Law School, London: 2014 – LPC (commendation)
  • University of Brighton: 2010 to 2013 – LLB Law with Business (hons) 2:1

Personal

Outside of work Alastair likes to keep active and enjoys tennis, rugby, skiing and exploring new countries.

Notable Cases

Advising on the sale of Pod Group, an international telecommunications and IoT connectivity provider operating in over 185 countries, to Giesecke+Devrient, a German security technology group. The transaction involved the disposal of a global business with a complex operational footprint, including cross-border commercial arrangements, technology assets and international customer contracts. Alastair advised on the negotiation of transaction documentation and supported the client throughout the sale process, including managing legal due diligence and coordinating input across multiple jurisdictions. The deal was strategically significant for the buyer as part of its expansion into IoT connectivity.

Advising BM Modular Limited on the acquisition of the business and certain assets of Boutique Modern Limited, a £6 million turnover modular housing contractor, from joint administrators by way of a pre-pack administration sale. Boutique Modern had secured a pipeline of local authority and housing association projects across the South East through frameworks including the LHC Modular Building Framework before entering administration following project delays, contractual disputes and cashflow pressures. Devonshires advised on all corporate aspects of the accelerated acquisition, including negotiating the asset purchase agreement, structuring a deferred consideration mechanism linked to the novation and completion of existing construction contracts, and managing completion within the compressed timeframe of a pre-pack transaction. The acquisition preserved multiple affordable housing developments across Sussex and the wider South East.

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