Jason Varney

Jason is a Corporate / M&A lawyer who specialises in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate governance and other corporate advisory and transactional work. He acts for a full range of corporate clients; from owner-managed businesses to large private companies. He also acts for angel, venture capital & private equity investors.

Jason is the head of the firm’s Technology Sector Group.

Before joining Thomson Snell & Passmore in July 2020, Jason spent five years at the magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and just over five years at the mid-city London firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain.

During his career Jason has been seconded to:

Hong Kong, SAR
Ebury Partners (a London-headquartered FinTech company)
Barclays bank M&A team
HSBC Bank (in London, Vancouver and New York).

He supports a range of clients including private limited companies, owner managers, entrepreneurs/investors, AIM listed companies and UK subsidiaries of international businesses.
M&A - mergers, acquisitions & disposals
Private equity, venture capital & angel investments
Exit & succession planning
Cross border transactions
Joint venture & shareholder agreements
Group reorganisations & demergers
Corporate advisory & governance
Employee ownership trusts.

Advising Uptime Institute Holdings, LLC, a US-based private equity backed, digital infrastructure group, on its acquisition of a UK-based international digital technology training group

Advising Landmark Underwriting, a specialist managing general agent, in respect of two separate bolt-on acquisitions and its debt raise in order to fund the acquisitions

Advising long-term client Nurture Landscapes on a large number of both share and business acquisitions

Advising a NYSE-listed manufacturer of commercial automatic transmissions on its acquisition of an electric vehicle technology specialist based in London

Advising a global accountancy firm on its acquisition of a digital design consultancy business

Advising a large listed sports retailer on a number of acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic investments

Advising an international car technology and lifestyle audio company on its acquisition of a Cambridge-based manufacturer of hi-fi technology

Advising a London headquartered FinTech company on a 51% investment by a global bank.

Achievements & other appointments

Jason was shortlisted for the Corporate Lawyer of the Year Award at the Insider Media South East Dealmakers Awards 2023. Jason was also part of the team that won Corporate Law Firm of the Year 2022.

In 2017 Jason was nominated as a “stand-out lawyer” by an independently surveyed client, and he now features in the Acritas Stars database.

Education

Jason received a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Birmingham in 2008, before then undertaking the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School, Holborn (London). Whilst at University, Jason was awarded the Smalley-Baker Jurisprudence Prize (2007) and was elected ICSA Law Society Chair (The Holdsworth Club) (2007-2008).

Jason trained and then qualified at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2012; and later joined the Partnership at Thomson Snell & Passmore in 2020.

Partner, Corporate & Commercial

Specialisms & expertise

Examples of work